Energy-Heart
by bluetreeleaves
Summary: AU The fossil was supposed to be the savior of the modern world. It was the enigma that baffled two brilliant scientists. Now, with their successors still alive, hope can continue to thrive. Who will protect them through this journey? What is this Corporation that is constantly hunting them? V/H
1. Operation RED

This is not my first story on this site, but this is my first real work as a drama/action. I've already written out the second chapter and I'm currently editing the third. Just considering the fact that even I can't wait to tell this story is crazy. I usually wait for a post before I began the next chapter. I just have such a good feeling about this one. This fic will be exciting, hopefully long, and definitely finished (probably before I post the fifth chapter :). I'm excited for this story and I have high hopes for it. It's different from my usual writing style. That's probably why I like it so much.

Also, prewarning, if you want fluffy romance, you might get a few scenes, but to be honest, I'm really working on action and drama here. There will be V/H (of course). That's an automatic given. :)

Now READ! lol!

* * *

"Sir, the third installment of Merchant's frequency translator located the 1850-1990 MHz PCS phone band and finally allowed Crying Gray to tap into the lines. Apparently, not a moment too soon. Just within these last four to six hours, he learned they decided to commence with the experiment despite Kanzaki's absence. They tested the fossil's antimatter this afternoon."

"And?"

"The fossil's experiment has proven successful, Mr. Dornkirk. According to Crying Gray, Fanel has predicted the fossil will be introduced into worldwide use within the this or the next decade. The man confessed as much over the main line. The plan to go public with the news hasn't been decided yet. He is waiting for Kanzaki to enter the lab and discuss the next course of action."

"Perfect," a deep, old voice answered. "Tell Crying Gray to alert the Dragon Slayers. Begin Operation RED once Kanzaki has been confirmed entering the lab. "

"Operation RED, sir?"

The old man remained silent for a moment. A bony hand lifted to stroke his long beard thoughtfully. "If my predictions are correct, Kanzaki and Fanel will both be in the lab till the early morning, along with the rest of their staff. Now that the antimatter has been deemed a success, we cannot let those fools move any further. The perfect time to strike is when you can wipe out all targets. Make sure to mention to Crying Gray that there must be no survivors. No evidence for the Feds to find. Nothing must be left."

"But what of the-"

"Nothing must be left." Dornkirk repeated unblinkingly.

"Yes, sir." The young man said stoically. "I will inform Crying Gray at once."

* * *

Despite the early hour and lack of sleep, Tsukasa Kanzaki grinned happily as he scanned his encoded key card into the security system. He gave a happy wave to the two security guards sitting at the window, which they returned with tired smiles of their own. With a soft beep from the machine, he strolled through the swinging unlocked door of the main front lab. He turned to his left and seemed to shake with excitement as he placed his large hand on a thick rubber plate strapped to the wall. Another small beep signaled his access and heavy doors glided open to let him through.

He practically skipped down the plain hallway into his bright, florescent lab. The whitewash walls of his establishment were covered with different categorized sketches of what looked like a large, stone human heart. Slowing his walk, the man breathed in the energized air. Wanting to prolong the moment, he stopped to look at a detailed blown up picture of the heart's left side with several parts labeled. The man sighed with satisfaction. The break-through had finally happened. Today was a summarization of everything he had worked for these past seven years. With this kind of discovery, all worry about poisonous gases, holes in the o-zone, melting icecaps, toxic wastes, and world wars for oil would disappear forever. And it was all thanks to this beautiful fossil. Leaning in further till his nose almost touched the paper, Kanzaki studied the inner shadows of – what they nicknamed – the left valve.

It wasn't a stone. There's no way this could have come from Gaea. His crew had tested its outside skin for familiar particles. Nothing matched its biological makeup. Was it an undiscovered type of rock or seed or even a prehistoric egg? Though it hinted the inner valves and atriums of a heart, it hardly had any association with organic tissue. It wasn't until Fanel took it to the radiologist lab that they made some headway into its true nature.

The fossil was a miracle. It was everything modern society needed.

Once the almost diamond hard shell had been thoroughly x-rayed, they discovered the steady pulse of what looked like charging radiation.

It was concluded – through careful examination - that the charge within the fossil could power three major cities simultaneously as well as have enough juice for several small ships. When tested for radiation decay, the fossil's Gamma photons appeared in the right atrium of the heart for approximately 756, 432, 998 metres per second before disappearing into an unknown. That was more than triple the speed of light. It left absolutely no pollution. It also was rechargeable. It mysteriously supplied its own particles from the left atrium.

But where did the new particles come from? Now that was a question! A fourth dimension like Pearson's theory? A separate solar system all together?

Tapping the left atrium with a finger, he shook his head at the wonder of it all. In there was the answer.

Now that their second hypothesis had proven successful, he was – as of this moment – _one_ of the _two_ most famous men in history. The other would be his partner and best friend.

Green eyes dancing with pride, he continued on his way to the radiation lab. Grinning at the different white coated professionals scurrying all around him, Kanzaki finally walked with slow steps, enjoying the hustle and bustle of his crew. His three radiological specialists, two paleontologists, and three master engineers whispered to each other in unrestrained excitement. Some caught his eye and returned his smile with one of their own. Several others stopped what they were doing and started applauding.

Yep, today would be one for the history books.

"Dr. Kanzaki," A stern voice resounded behind him. Jumping slightly, the man grimaced before turning to look at the small, younger woman.

"Uchida, geez, you really should change your career path to ninja. You always somehow find a way to sneak and scare the hell out of me."

She frowned up at him sternly as her auburn hair fell slightly from its messy bun and into her dark, alert eyes. Though she had been in the labs just has much as the scientists had, she remained impassive to the excitement around her. Clutching her diagnostics chart to her chest, she walked closer to him with her heels clacking the title floor.

"Mr. Fanel called you at one this morning. That was more than an hour ago. He's in the office waiting for you now."

Tsukasa laughed kindheartedly. "I'm sure he is. Be happy for once, Uchida. Today is a glorious day."

"I am happy, Dr. Kanzaki." The woman stated in monotone, her dark eyes completely blank of emotion.

"Right," the man stifled his laugh with a cough. "Let me see the chart, then."

She handed over the clipboard with a steady hand. "I've pinned the abnormality readings behind the Baryon Asymmetry Parameter tests you requested, but there isn't any need to look further. It's true. The left atrium of the fossil is 67.879% coated in the unknown Beta radiation you discovered a year ago. We have also concluded that the center of that valve has tested as a pure source of antiparticles including the opposite quantum spin. As you know, Doctor Fanel had thought originally that the chamber itself held the antimatter together, but the test results of the .005ng antimatter particle combination of our own .005ng matter just several hours ago concluded-"

"I knew it! I KNEW IT!" Kanzaki shouted, laughing again. Caught up in his euphoric daze, he dropped the clipboard and grabbed the woman in front of him into a huge bear hung. She stiffened as he lifted her off the ground and swung her around several times before gently setting her back down. Her tousled hair fell out of the bun and hung long in her face.

"Doctor, please compose yourself."

"It didn't react, did it?" Tsukasa was grinning so brightly, he could barely see out of his eyes. This was against anything science or logic could ever explain. "It's an unknown antimatter altogether! It isn't antimatter we've created from our own particles. It came from _inside_ the fossil. A fossil we obtained from a dinosaur excavation site! And this unknown antimatter - actual pure antimatter - met with our own matter and remained stabilized. Do you understand what means, Uchida? These heart fossils hold the key to a completely different reality. An opposite universe from our own. Those crazy Baryogenesis nerds might actually be right! Another world was created with the Big Bang! Another universe in the negative. Or maybe _we_ are the negative! Just think of the-"

"Dr. Fanel is still waiting," Uchida commented seriously. She had straightened her skirt underneath her white coat and was trying to calm her flyaway hair. "You shouldn't shout in the hallway, Doctor."

Bending quickly, Tsukasa Kanzaki picked up the fallen clipboard and placed it in Uchida's arms. "Call my wife! Tell her to meet me outside the labs in two hours!"

"It's two in the morning, Doctor." She called back.

"Trust me! She's up!"

* * *

Megumi Kanzaki sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. All around her were remains of a birthday party that had taken place just that afternoon. Swallowing the tense feeling in her throat, she finally sat up straight and breathed deeply. Brushing off the bits of ribbon that should have been cleaned hours ago, Megumi reached into her blue robe to withdraw a small silk pouch. Holding the light weight bag in her hand, the woman knew she was opening a door she had closed many years ago. Her powerful sixth sense scared her almost as much as her bad feeling. It has started earlier in the week as an odd tingle that would run down her spine for no reason, or a sense of being watched by someone unseen. Today, she had run to check on Hitomi a handful of times convinced the girl was in danger.

Tonight, she told Tsukasa her troubled thoughts after they had put Hitomi to bed.

The expressive smile he gave her almost made her laugh in spite of herself. Just with one look, he told her to figure it out- the old way. If she had a way of knowing, suck up the fear and just do it.

"Alright, Megumi," she whispered to herself as she placed the bag upon the table. "This is just a precautionary reading."

Opening the sack with determined hands, the woman reached inside to take out a stack of tattered cards. As soon as she pulled the cards out of the bag she heard a small sigh of contentment come from them. With a quick intake of breath to steady her nerves, Megumi's hands began shuffling the cards, almost instinctively. Her tired brown eyes began to widen. Her vision of the table cleared. She impulsively fought the familiar foggy awareness that tried to grip her thoughts.

_Relax_…

The thought moved slowly… seductively...

"Right," the woman breathed out loud. "I must relax."

Instantly, the fog was there and her fingers cut the deck with expert precision.

Swiftly placing the tarot cards face down on the table, Megumi's ears repeated the soft thud of the cards hitting the table's surface. Her breathing turned unsteady and her hands became sweaty. She picked up the first card from the pile and placed it face up in front of her.

"Strength," she whispered. _The Present. With your resolve, the future might soon have a better chance for survival. The mighty lion of uncertainty has been conquered. It was your strength of patience and unstoppable determination, Tsukasa. You are a brilliant man. You are strength._

Lifting the next card and placing it across her present, Megumi felt her blood run cold.

"Tower."_ The Challenge. A force will extinguish strength. Hope may survive, but it won't be enough to stop the inevitable fall. The strongest card of change._

Megumi closed her eyes against the fog in her brain. It swirled softly in her head like a cloud. "You knew this was going to be difficult. Just keep going." She whispered to herself.

Turning the next top one and setting it to the right, she blinked in surprise.

"Sun." _The Distant Past. Happiness. We always had financial security with my family's inheritance. Meanwhile, Tsukasa made one of the greatest discoveries of the new age. And then – five years ago Hitomi came along…_ Megumi smiled at the card despite the Tower looming over her future. _She completed my life._

Grabbing the next one on the pile, she placed this one on the bottom.

"Seven of Swords." _The Recent Past. A thief or liar. There was deception very recently. It will be the cause of our strife. _The brown-eyed woman blinked and felt her something wet on her right cheek. Brushing it with her hand, she felt a wave of importance hit her. _A tear?_

Wiping her fingers on her robe, she reached out with her other hand for the next card.

"The upside down Fool." She said frowning. She placed the card above of the others on the table. _The Best Outcome. Our single strength is not enough to fight back. In order to overcome the obstacle, we will have to band together. There will be a loss of innocence, but it will be for the best. _

"Hitomi…" Megumi whispered, knowing somehow this card was for her child. "You will need to grow up quickly and trust in those around you, my darling girl. Never abandon your friends."

"And now…" she muttered, knowing this next card was the second most important in the Celtic Cross.

"Death."

She choked. With a trembling hand, she couldn't stop herself from staring at the card. Death was seated on his white horse bringing with him the souls he had reaped. He carried the black flag of reality. Just below the hoof of his horse, a woman begged on her knees before him. She could see it as if the card were animated. The crushing of the woman's skull as he urged his horse forward. Unfeeling. Uncaring. He crushed her as she begged beneath him. Megumi's ears thudded with her bounding heart. Letting go of the card, she watched it glide with a mysterious wind right to its spot on the left.

_The Immediate Future. A forced sacrifice. Unmerciful destruction._

Biting her lip, Megumi breathed deeply and tore her brown eyes away from Death. Almost as if trying to escape the card, she quickly flipped the next one over and placed it on the bottom right.

"Queen of Wands." _Factors Affecting the Situation. There will be a strong woman. There are a lot of friends surrounding her, but she is also independent. She is fiery and ambitious. Almost stubborn to a fault. She is a force to be reckoned with._

The woman smiled as a vision of her daughter swam in her head. "Fits you like a glove, sweetheart. I hope this is you."

Removing the next card and placing it on the right above the Queen, Megumi frowned.

"Knight of Pentacles." _External Influences. It's a man. He will be almost as headstrong as the Queen. His greatest strength is creativity. He's also very patient. Together they will be able to work to the best outcome. He is the most dedicated and loyal of any card. And he's on her side._

A wave of relief filled her. Sitting back for a moment, the brown-haired woman studied the Knight and Queen together. If this was Hitomi, she'd be well taken care of with the Knight. Then, without further hesitation, she reached out and pulled up the next card.

"The upside-down Moon." _Hopes and Fears. There will be more deceptions, but they cannot influence a strong mind. The darkness will rule, but not forever. There will be untamed wildness, yet a softer gentler side will try to direct the path. _An odd buzzing noise sounded in the dark haired woman's ears. It sounded like a vehicle… motorcycle?

Megumi's eyes lifted slightly to focus on where the last card will be placed. The most important one of the deck.

"Well, here goes nothing."

She flipped the card as fast as she could and slammed it on the table. Her cold palm covered the card's picture. With a thudding heart, she raised her hand and looked.

"Judgment." _The Final Outcome._

Riiiiiiiiinnnng

Megumi gave a shout and quickly covered her mouth to make sure she didn't wake Hitomi upstairs. Feeling the fog instantly recede from her mind, the brown-haired woman jumped up from the chair and crossed the messy kitchen to pick up the cordless phone.

"Kanzaki residence, Megumi speaking."

"Good morning, Mrs. Kanzaki. My name is Uchida Hanne and I'm calling from your husband's lab office."

Megumi smiled, "Yes, Miss Uchida, I remember you. How have you been?"

"Quite well, ma'am. I'm calling at the insistence of your husband to ask your presence outside the labs at four o'clock this morning."

"Then it worked!?" The brown-eyed woman shouted, momentarily forgetting her sleeping child. "He and that crazy Fanel actually pulled it off… I am so proud of him! I've been so worried about the antimatter test."

"Pardon my impoliteness, but this entire experiment is classified information."

"So, naturally, he told me all about it." Megumi laughed.

She heard an unnatural long sigh as a reply.

"Tell him if you see him that I'll be there at four waiting with Hitomi."

There was a silence and then, "I will tell him as soon as I-"

"No worries. Don't try to find him, Miss Uchida. This is only if you see him around the labs. I'd rather you go get some rest before hunting down my lunatic of a husband."

There was another weird silence.

"Um… Miss Uchida? Are you there?"

"Yes, yes, Mrs. Kanzaki, I'm still here."

"Is everything okay?"

"I have one thing more to say. And again please do not take offense."

Megumi rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Go ahead."

"You are very much like your husband, ma'am. In a good way."

The brown-haired woman blinked. This was the closest thing to a compliment she had ever received from the woman. Granted she had only met Uchida a handful of times, but still. Megumi found that she was glad this woman thought so well of her family. Especially where her frustrating husband was concerned.

"Thank you. I appreciate that, Miss Uchida. I like you, too."

"You're-You're welcome." The woman stuttered, as if still taken back by being liked by someone. "I'll try to meet you outside the lab. Doctor Fanel finally changed the code so that I am able to enter everywhere."

"That would be lovely, thank you. Well, I better go get ready."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Kanzaki."

"Goodbye, Miss Uchida."

Hanging up the phone, the woman looked back at the cards arrayed on the table.

"I'll tell Tsukasa the outcome when I get there," she decided out loud. "He's probably in the middle of celebrating with Fanel. He needs this time to be happy about his accomplishments." Nodding her head, she moved to the table to break up the Celtic Cross.

She had no idea that several miles away, the forces were already moving against her.

* * *

"Gather the men. Dornkirk has given the signal for Operation RED. How long till your Dragon Slayers are prepared?"

"I've been prepared since two days ago. I've already have some men stationed at the Kanzaki residence."

Crying Gray quickly answered through his headset, "No need to attack the house. We don't need civilian onlookers. From the phone call it looks as though his wife is on her way to the lab with their child."

"Well, damn, I was looking forward to raising a little hell in that quiet suburb."

"That would defeat the purpose of Operation RED, Dilandau. Need I remind you that Dornkirk has given you this assignment as a way of redeeming your last blunder?"

"I can't help it if churches catch fire so easily. What of Fanel's family? This _is_ Operation RED we are talking about."

"Let me deal with them. Personally."

Crying Gray could just see the young man's eyebrow twitch in irritation. "Fine, have it your way."

"You have the spy's DNA I sent you correct?"

Dilandau scoffed. "I've had it for months. I don't see why I need it anyway since we have the spy already there."

"She is there to make sure everything runs smoothly. If it wasn't for the spy, we wouldn't have been able to progress this far in the first place."

"Hmph. They better not get in my way."

"You need to understand what's at stake here. Do you even know what to look for? This thing will be covered by security guards and doors. Make sure you know the layout well."

"GEEZ, crybaby, get off my back! You're acting like I've never done a job before!"

"Successfully…" Crying Gray muttered. "This is an important Operation RED, Dilandau. Dornkirk was specific about that. He doesn't want anything left."

He heard a low laugh in reply.

"This is a-"

"Yes, yes, yes," the young man said still chuckling. "A clean Operation RED. Get in, kill them all, steal the goods and we are out of there as the rockets red glare."

* * *

Goau Fanel stood in the small office facing the door, switching his sharp eyes from the clock on the wall to the computer screen on his desk. His hands excitedly twisted behind his back as he tried to keep himself from stereotypically tapping his foot with impatience. When he had sent Kanzaki home for his daughter's 5th birthday party, he had been positive the results of the experiment with antimatter would take days to catalog. It was almost tragic they had chosen to start the day his partner couldn't be there. Busy as he was here, Kanzaki was wrapped around that little girl's finger. Goau smiled for a moment as he pictured the short-haired child. She was pretty cute.

His own children… Goau felt the familiar stab of pain and retreated his mind from the issue. Today was going to be one of the best days of his life since Varie left. It was best to not touch that subject.

Eyes twisting back to the computer screen, Fanel studied the constantly monitored pink stone that was held suspended by pressure points. In the solid lab underground where the left valve of the fossil was only partially removed to take out the accumulated antimatter, Goau saw firsthand the fall of every single science equation ever proven. With this discovery, not only would a safe and stable supply of energy be channeled for indefinitely from the fossil, but it actually hinted at other worldly aspects. The unknown energy was closest to Beta radiation, where the fossil's continuous energy spectra of a particle mirrored the continuous kinetic energy spectrum. However, with the disappearing Gamma, it was hard to figure out the exact amount of energy that was constantly being produced by the fossil. Also, the average neutrino energy never spiked. The particles were constantly being circulated. The level always remained at a steady pace. It was as if the fossil pumped the radiation like blood in a heart. But if that was the case, where did the radiation come from?

Which was the answer for the antimatter. The buildup of antiprotons and electrons formed an enormous amount of antihydrogen atoms. For a long time, both scientists were afraid they had discovered the end of the world in this little fossil. With that much antimatter hitting the world's atmosphere, the entire planet would be incinerated in a matter of seconds. Extracting the antimatter from the fossil was a nightmarish few months. Kanzaki was the only one optimistic during that tough time. He urged everyone to go ahead and test the unknown antimatter with their own .005ng matter. He even refused to postpone the experiment till he returned the next day. Continue as scheduled with or without him. Speaking of without…

"Where is that idiot?"

Goau glanced at the clock once more and scratched the back of his head with clammy fingers. His ears instantly perked as the sound of heavy footsteps approached the door. The mustached man grinned at the familiar sound. Within seconds, a messy brown head peaked through the open doorway, a mirrored grin plastered on his face.

"Come here, you nerd." Kanzaki laughed practically running through the door to sweep Goau in one of his large bear hugs. The men embraced tightly, slapping each other on the back.

"Where have you been? I've waited for over an hour and a half!"

The brown-haired man looked sheepish. "I had to visit under a bridge."

Goau quirked an eyebrow. Letting go of his friend, he studied the tall man's face for translation. "And that means...?"

"I'll tell you later," Kanzaki said furtively, waving the subject away with his hand. "So, what did I miss?"

"You _knew_ it would happen," Fanel started, leading the way to his desk. "Check it out. Your predictions were completely correct. Look at the readings. Not only is the antimatter ready to be taken out of the pressurized plates, but can probably be handled by human touch."

The taller man's eyes widened as he leaned over to the computer screen. "You're kidding me…"

Fanel shook his head, his longish black hair swaying into his eyes. "The antimatter is not only stabilized, it is practically harmless to humans. There is that mysterious green powder that coats the antimatter, but we deducted that it is a simple residue. We'll have to test it more to figure out the exact components. I think we can go and actually hold the fossil now."

"You've decided a lot while I was away. It's unreal to think that something so radioactive could be completely harmless to us and yet it can still be channeled for power."

"I don't understand it either! Why haven't we sprouted cancer all over our bodies?"

Kanzaki frowned at the puzzle. "Everyone was tested as soon as the experiment with the antimatter concluded?"

"Even after we took off the protective suits."

Tsukasa's face slowly broke out into a huge grin. Giving his friend another hard slap on the back, he announced, "I think we may have just found our next hypothesis, Goau."

"This time I'll be the optimistic one with family distractions and _you_ are the one stuck here in the middle of the night." Despite the joking manner in which he said those words, Kanzaki recognized the sad note in his friend's voice.

Goau Fanel was a brilliant scientist with an even more brilliant heart. Varie's absence was a constant torment for the man. She left him only three years ago taking their two boys with her. Fanel mentioned the youngest boy sometimes when Tsukasa asked after them. Fanel hardly mentioned the eldest son though.

"I got a call from Varie," the black-haired man stated in a low voice. "She called my cell about thirty minutes after you left yesterday."

"How is she?" The taller man asked without looking at his partner. He kept his head down, studying the monitor of the computer. "You never told her what we do here, right?"

"It was for her own good." Goau muttered. "She ended up thanked me for never letting her know. She said it made me easier to leave. I said that what we do here will change the world within the decade. She laughed at me. You've told Megumi, right?"

"You know I can't keep anything from that woman even if I wanted to. Hell, those cards are practically a neon sign over my head sometimes."

"I thought you told me she gave up her fortune-telling."

Kanzaki shrugged. "I know she did one earlier this morning. Something's been bothering her lately. She doesn't like to do readings anymore though. Gotta admit, it creeps me out too. For once I'd like to be right in the conversation."

"Maybe that was the problem between Varie and me. I couldn't let her in and she couldn't read my intentions for doing it."

Sensing this conversation was going downhill fast, Tsukasa altered the topic. "Van's doing well in school?"

"He joined the writing club. Varie says he has a real knack for poetry. Don't know where he got that from. Probably from her side." Fanel answered, smiling despite the sadness in his eyes. "She told me he won the fifth grade competition for best limerick."

Kanzaki looked at his friend startled. "Isn't Van only in second grade?"

The sadness was slowly replaced with fatherly pride. "They let him compete. Apparently, his professor is saying he has great potential. He is already introducing him to study the different styles of poetry."

"Well, of course, he came from the best, right? I bet that kid can do anything." the green-eyed man chuckled, placing his arm around his friend's shoulders.

Goau's eyes tightened. "Folken is a completely different story. Varie said he left the house. She doesn't even know where he is. He took all the money out of her purse and her jewels stashed in her closet. Then he vanished. This was six months ago. She didn't even bother to tell me when it first happened."

"Oh," was the only reply Kanzaki could think of.

There was a pause between them was one of understand. It lasted for only a minute, but it must have been one of the longest 60 seconds in history. Tsukasa kept his arm around his friend, still staring at the blinking monitor.

"I'd love to see this thing close up and not through a monitor if you don't mind." The taller man suddenly said with a smile. "Unless you found out it can magically live in computer screens as well."

Though the smile was forced, it was back on Goau's face. "Sure. By the way, I think we should name it. To keep calling it 'fossil' is getting a bit old."

The taller man turned away from the screen and started walking to the door. "How about Kanzaki-junior?"

Fanel glanced at his grinning friend, "I'm serious here. We should think of something. Something… identifying." He strolled through the open door. Kanzaki closed it behind him.

"Well, it's full of mutated Beta radiation that is harmless to humans, yet can supply a whole world's worth of energy. How about Energy-Heart?"

"That sounds like a romantic movie title." Goau answered with a face. His expression turned thoughtful after a few seconds as they walked down the hallway. "I like 'energy' being in the title though."

They both stopped at an obscure white wall that was several feet from the office door and took turns bending to scan their retinas into a small unnoticeable platform. All the while Kanzaki shot off names, each one more ridiculous than the last.

"Energy-Crystal?"

"This isn't a video game."

"Radical-Glow?"

"Not a bad rock band name, but no."

"Ener-Radia?"

"That just sounds awful."

"Energheart?"

"I already said no to Energy-Heart!"

"I know! I just put the two words closer together." The green-eyed man frowned jokingly.

Walking past the radiation protective suits, the air inside the room was chilly and stale. Stopping in front of white closed double doors, the partners each swiped their security cards at the same time in different sides of the door. A small beep resounded announcing their access and the doors slowly slid open. Overhead lights leisurely flickered on; however, there really was no need for them.

The fossil made enough light to see perfectly fine.

Walking closer, side by side, both stared at the startlingly beautiful object suspended in the air. The pinkish hue of its radiation made the entire room a warm peach color. The greenish glow of the antimatter sparkled hauntingly on its top left side through an almost invisible hole that had been drilled to extract the matter. The pressure plates – connected together by titanium plates - were braced on an aluminum table making the fossil eye level for the humans.

For the first time in almost a decade of research, Tsukasa Kanzaki was seeing his subject face to face, without glass, radiation suit, or even protective goggles. It was free.

"You've moved it out of the testing dome," the taller man commented quietly, as if being in front of the fossil demanded respect. "And I thought you took out the antimatter."

"Once it was declared safe, I thought we'd want to study it in a more personal way besides through a looking-glass. And I did take the antimatter out. This is new antimatter that it made just a few hours ago." Goau answered in the same respected awe.

"What the hell is this thing?"

The mustached man shook his head slowly. "That's what we are here to find out, Tsukasa."

There was a second's pause, and then…

"Energist." Kanzaki said quietly.

Goau's dark eyes watched the pink pulsating fossil cycle the unknown Beta radiation through its valves. He knew from the x-rays that the Gamma radiation instantly disappeared within the right atrium not a moment later.

"Energist." He agreed.

* * *

Crying Gray checked his watch under his armored sleeve. It was only one more hour till Operation RED. There wasn't much time left for him. Feeling a strange calmness in his mind, the young man knew he needed to keep his heart rate completely stable. Reaching up with a gloved hand, he felt the wire that was deeply imbedded into his chest to monitor his heart. Right now, Dornkirk was probably at the screen watching all the racing hearts of those Dragon Slayers as they reveled in the future blood bath. He prayed silently that he could keep his heart at a steady pace. Everything depended on it.

His mahogany eyes glanced out the abandoned car window he was hiding in. The house in front of him was a modest, one-story brick home. It was simple in its decorations. The house was obviously never loved. There were no flowers planted in the garden. No toys on the sidewalk. Not even a fence to keep a dog.

The lights were all out except for one. Hers was always on.

His mother's light.

* * *

"Mama, can I go see what dad does, too?" Hitomi asked cheerfully. Like her father, she was a morning person. Megumi squeezed the girl's little hand as they walked through the dark night to the large doors of the lab. It looked just like an abandoned building to her. She never understood her husband's strange obsession with the secret hideout. She guessed it had something to do with his childhood fantasies. Whatever it was, she always thought the lab building looked like a rat's nest for homeless people surrounded by a chain link fence. The parking lot was filled with only a few cars, mostly the doctorate staff.

"You'll have to ask him when you see him." She answered leading the way to the front steps. "He'll probably let you see the entrance labs."

"I hope he'll take me into the back labs. I've _always_ wanted to go in there. He says I'm not old enough, but I had my birthday yesterday!"

"Like I said, honey, you'll have to ask him."

"I'll ask him as a birthday present!"

Megumi laughed. "You already got all your presents, honey."

The little girl was quiet for a while. Then her mouth widened for a huge toothy smile, her green eyes squinting in happiness. "Then I'll ask him to make it for Christmas."

"We'll see, Hitomi." The mother shook her head, still chuckling. Then she stopped and frowned in confusion at the little girl. "Wait a minute, missy, when did _you_ stop believing in Santa Claus?"

The girl snorted. "Oh, come on, mama! I'm _five_, not an _idiot_."

This caused the woman to shake her head in hopelessness. Reaching down, Megumi grabbed Hitomi under the arms and held her on her hip. "You are too much like your father. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"That is an excellent question. One I was debating earlier."

Both Hitomi and Megumi jumped at the unexpected monotone voice. Turning to the younger woman who had come up from somewhere behind her, she gasped, "My goodness, Miss Uchida. You scared me."

"I have that effect on people." The auburn haired woman's stiff eyes hardly blinked. She was a pretty woman with unusual auburn hair and cool dark eyes. Her lab coat draped off her straight shoulders. Her badge named her _Assistant to the Chief Heads of Experimental Radiology_.

"That was cool!" Hitomi said happily. Megumi put her down so she could properly greet Uchida. "It's hard to startle mama."

"And yet not impossible." Megumi smiled. "It's nice of you to meet again so soon, Miss Uchida."

"And you, Mrs. Kanzaki. I was asked to show you to the back lab. Doctor Kanzaki wants you to be there to see the experiment."

"What about Hitomi?" the dark-eyed woman asked glancing down at her questioning daughter.

"He said he thought she was old enough."

"Yippee!" the little girl cheered. "I'm so excited, mama! I'm finally old enough."

Megumi sighed. "It's his experiment. If he thinks you are old enough, then I guess you are. You better behave yourself though. And you cannot touch anything, alright honey? You can only look."

"I'll keep an eye on her." Uchida offered with a complete lack of emotion. "She can have a tour."

"I can?" Green eyes sparkled brightly.

"That would be fantastic, thank you!" the mother said in relief.

Walking past to scan her security card, the auburn haired woman held the door. Megumi waved to the two security guards on duty and Hitomi mirrored her gesture. Both men returned her greeting with tired smiles.

And the door closed solidly behind them.

* * *

Varie sighed as she glanced over her accounts one more time. Slouching lower against the pillows on her bed, the long-haired woman thumbed through her planned budget for the month. It'll be tight, but she could manage. She was horrified to admit, but she wasn't going to make it at the rate she was going. Even though divorce had taken a toll on her savings, she still felt it was worth the price. Being married to a stranger wasn't worth financial support, in her opinion. She'd rather have Goau with no job at all than stuck for days - sometimes weeks - on end at that silly lab he lived in. Sucking on her cheek in concentration, she pulled up her resume to once again to check the information and add a little more to the description of her past jobs.

The house she was currently in was a rental from her older step-brother. Balgus was a bit sullen, but he was at least a man who understood the importance of taking care of family. She was eternally grateful to him when he broodingly agreed to let her rent his old house for several months at a very reasonable price. Then - as she lost her job, Folken ran away, and her car decided to get mechanical cancer and have almost every problem imaginable – Balgus agreed instantly to lower the rent and let her sign a very flexible year contract. He also chipped in for the electric bill from time to time. Always with a scowl, of course.

She sighed again and pushed her hair behind her ears. Clicking the browsing tab, she uploaded her resume on yet another job searching website. As the site flashed that they had received her resume, she muttered. "Well, better go to my email and delete all the spam I've gotten for submitting this."

"You've got to leave."

Varie almost screamed in fright. Gasping for breath, she zipped her eyes to the corner where the dark voice came from. Deep from the doorway that led to her bedroom, she saw a tall man all in black standing as if made of stone. His entire face and head was covered in a black shroud except for bright mahogany eyes.

"Who are you?" she cried, throwing off her laptop and jumping off her small bed. "What are you doing in my house?"

"I don't have much time. They won't be coming after you. But you and Van have to leave this house. Hide somewhere in the country."

The voice instantly sent tears to her eyes. "Folken…" she whispered. "Folken, my baby. What is going on?"

The young man who was her son closed his eyes as if to calm himself down. "I'll tell you only what I can. I work for a corporation. I have for a while now, even before I left the house. I figured out what dad was working on all these years. He kept it from you to try to keep you safe, but I know. And now I've got to stop him. My boss has just declared an Operation RED. That means nothing is to be left. Every paper will be either confiscated or burned. All computer databases copied and terminated. All those involved are to be killed. Dad's lab is probably under attack as we speak."

Varie stared at her black clothed son in shock. Slowly she fell to her knees on the carpeted floor. "Will Goau be alright?" She asked, her tearful eyes pleading.

"I can't promise it." Folken answered shaking his head. "That's why you need to pack up Van and get out of here _now_."

"Why, baby?" The tears were slipping down now; steadily dripping on the carpet. "Why would you do this to your father? To your family?"

"You don't understand what he's doing, mom. He's been testing and experimenting on something that should have been destroyed a long time ago. This is what tore our family apart. I want to get rid of it once and for all." His voice grew in strength as the words continued to tumble out of his mouth. "He never trusted me with the secret either! He never trusted any of us! So, why should you have to die for him? Why should his entire family be sacrificed for his mistakes?"

"Folken, you're not making any sense. You want to kill your father!"

"I want to save _you_!" He almost shouted, stepping further into the doorway. The long-haired woman studied the young man who was once so kind and loving. He had lost weight since he'd left, but his shoulders were broader. He was still a growing child. Only sixteen. He probably would grow to be taller than his father.

Why did it have to be this way?

"This was my only chance to warn you. Operation RED was going to happen regardless if I joined the corporation or not. I just sped it along before anymore damage could be done."

"Mom…?" A small voice sounded from the conjoining bathroom. It was creaky from sleep. "What's going on?"

Varie could only sit on the floor and stare at Folken, not even able to register another soul just entered the room. The silver-haired youth, however, turned his head to gaze at his bleary eyed little brother. The young boy's black messy hair was even more tangled than usual and his baggy truck pajama bottoms were twisted at the waist. He stumbled slowly into the room and squinted his mahogany eyes at the black stranger. With a light shout, the boy's entire body seized with fright.

"Who-who are you?" He whimpered his small body shivering. "Get out of this house!"

Immediately marching to Van with long legs, his brother swiftly removed the shroud in less than a second. Kneeling down, the teenager grabbed the young boy's shoulders with long, thin hands. Van's eyes widened.

"Brother? Why are you dressed like that? What happened to your cheek? It's like a teardrop."

"No time to explain, Van. I need you to promise me something, okay?"

Van swallowed several times before nodding his small, messy head.

"Take care of mom. Don't let her get hurt anymore. This will probably be the last time you see me. So, please, do everything you can to make sure she's happy."

The young boy's eyes danced all over his brother's familiar features. He suddenly rushed forward; wrapping his skinny arms around his brother's neck. A small sob came from him. He tightened his arms and laid his tan cheek on Folken's chest.

Right over the wire monitoring his heart.

Folken's hands stayed suspended in the air for a few seconds before slowly moving them around Van's small back. He gently returned the hug, feeling his throat tighten. His heart beat was probably as fast as the Dragon Slayers, but for a completely opposite reason.

"I've missed you, brother. I've missed you so much. Please, don't leave us again. Don't leave like dad."

"You have to promise me, Van. Promise you'll take care of mom." Folken's voice cracked only once, showing his held back emotions.

"I will, brother. I promise."

"Good." The silver-haired youth detached Van's arms from him and stood up. Slipping his shroud back on his head, he strolled to the door with his shoulders lower. He stopped at the doorway.

Glancing back at the two most precious things in the world to him, he whispered one more word.

"Run."

* * *

Thus ends the first chapter of my story. The next chapter will be along shortly, probably next week. I'll try to get it out this week if I can. My work allows me to be flexible in this area (meaning they don't see that I'm typing dialogue and not invoices). I hope you enjoyed the beginning of Energy-Heart. I had a blast writing it.

If you liked it, you can tell me. The process is quite simple. :)

Thanks for reading!

Blue…


	2. Death and The Rebirth

And here is chapter 2. I freaking hated myself writing this chapter. I knew I had to because it's all part of the plan, but seriously. I wanted to kick myself. Hang on... I just kicked my left foot. There.

Don't know what I'm talking about? You're about to. Warning: this chapter is violent. Hold a puppy while reading it.

Enjoy!

* * *

An excited grin broke out on a smooth, thin face. Crouched in the shadows of the early morning, he didn't need to look around to know that his Dragon Slayers were watching him, waiting for his signal. He was the center of control. He held the lives of those inside the lab in the palm of his hand. With just one command, he could walk away from this Operation and let the victims live. He could actually show the mercy that countless people had begged of him before.

No one seemed to understand his true calling, except for his Dragon Slayers. Every one of his victims always tried to reason with him. Didn't they understand that he was their dark angel? He was death with the scythe ready to purge their worthless lives from the world?

With a sharp visible nod, his bright eyes followed Shasta's lone dark form as the boy vanished from his side. His wide grin grew larger. He spotted the SMG MP40 strapped to the young man's back. What better scythe than a gun? Glancing at his own belted semi automatic pistols, Dilandau knew this would be a day to remember. His heart pumped with the anticipation. _The kill._

Shasta reached the front doors in record timing. Pulling the gun forward to his chest, he soundlessly twisted his silencer onto the nozzle of his gun while still in the shadows. With two quick shots in the head, both security guards were down.

Dilandau almost laughed. Motioning with his hand, he glided through the moonless night, his Dragon Slayers mirroring his every footfall. Within seconds, the silver-haired boy merged to stand beside Shasta.

"Nice shot," he commented.

"They weren't hard to miss."

Dilandau eyes brightened at the sight of the blood and brain splattered on the front door. "Stand ready, Shasta. It's time to bring this place to hell."

"Yes, sir."

A small chuckle escaped him. Too late to turn back now, I guess.

* * *

Running around her room, Varie couldn't stop her tears as she grabbed her old suitcase to pack some essentials. Tossing it onto her bed, she rushed to her closet to throw in her favorite walking shoes and some cheap sweaters. Turning swiftly, she emptied her underwear drawer and moved onto her socks. Where would she go? What would she do? Would they continue to hunt her? And Folken? What did they do to her child? And Van? Was he never going to be able to live his life normally? Always to stay a fugitive to that damn corporation that had already stolen one son away from her? And her ex-husband? What did he do to cause this? What was the abomination he had worked on? Was he already dead? Was he being killed this very minute?

Would his last thoughts be of her?

Slamming the lid down, the long-haired woman finally fell into a weep. She knew she had to keep going. She had to keep moving for Van's sake. For Folken's, too. He trusted her to live.

"My son… I'll never see him again…" she whispered to her closed suitcase. "He's gone forever."

_No, idiot, don't think like that yet. You need to survive this first. Get Van to safety and then you can cry. _

Drying her eyes on her robe's sleeve, she began to change out of her pajamas while she thought of places to go. Every one of them was predictable. Her family farm was out of the question. That's the first place they'd look. What about an apartment somewhere out of the suburbs? That would be traceable. They'd find her through a transaction. She didn't have the money to keep an apartment for long anyways. She would have to be a freeloader for a while. She could use her credit cards for a time, but those would only last her so far. Her debit card was out of the question.

And then it hit her.

She could go to Jajuka!

"Mom," Van's small voice whispered behind her. She straightened the sleeves on her pink sweater and gazed into the young boy's mahogany eyes. He had dressed himself in jeans and his favorite red t-shirt. "I've packed what I could. Remember to bring to bring your toothbrush. You always forget it."

"Thank you, baby," she pulled her long hair out of the pink collar and moved to the bathroom to pack her toiletries.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere far away," she said simply. "But first I need to make one last call."

"A call?" her youngest son repeated bewildered. "Who do you need to call? Dad?"

"Hand me my cell phone, sweetie." The long-haired woman commanded gently. "Go get your stuff and meet me downstairs. I'll be done in five minutes."

"Ok-okay," her son stuttered uncharacteristically and ran to the desk to grab her phone while she pulled on her socks and shoes. He placed it beside her on the bed with a steady hand.

Unthinkingly, Varie reached out and gently touched his small arm briefly. His eyes met hers. She saw the fear behind his gaze. He was trying to act brave for her. "We'll be okay, Van." She whispered to him reassuringly. "I have the world's best protector on my side."

"Brother is so much bigger than I remember."

Varie shook her head. "I didn't mean Folken, Van. I mean you."

The black-haired youth blushed lightly at the compliment.

"I love you, baby."

Van looked away. His arm trembled slightly under her hand. She saw him swallow quickly.

"I love you too, mom." He murmured his voice breaking.

Without another glance, he withdrew his arm from her grasp, grabbed her suitcase from her bed, and walked into his own room to take care of his own bags.

"Brave like a knight," she whispered, her eyes still on the doorway he left through.

Feeling a little calmer, she reached beside her to pick up the small cell phone. She didn't know if this was a good idea, but she knew she had to take a chance. If there was a way Goau was alive, she had to let him know a way to find her at least. She counted on him to remember. No one else would be able to translate it. Not even her sons.

Breathing deep to settle her heart, she scrolled through her contacts till she came to his name. Varie realized with a jolt that this was the second time she'd called him within 24 hours. Without a moment's pause, she pressed call.

In a florescent lighted lab office, on a desk next to a computer monitor, a cellphone lit up and began to vibrate with an incoming call.

* * *

Walking past the curious white coated scientists, Megumi felt a bit out-of-place among the files of information, blinking monitors, and twisted equipment. She suddenly had a newfound respect for her husband's job. This looked like a foreign planet to her.

Dragging Hitomi behind her, the mother noticed her daughter's green eyes zipping all around the room in fascination. Her mouth was slightly open in awe.

_We should have let her come in here a long time ago,_ Megumi thought with a smile. _Who knows? Maybe she'll follow Tsukasa's footsteps someday._

Turning right to continue down a hallway, Uchida led the way past a closed-door and to a strange scanner object on the wall.

"The fossil's experimentation lab is just past this wall. I believe Dr. Kanzaki and Dr. Fanel are inside." The monotone woman stated. "I'll scan you in."

"Are you sure it's okay to be in here? Isn't this the radiation lab as well?" Megumi asked with a worried frown.

"The fossil has no radiation charge that can harm humans, Mrs. Kanzaki. You are perfectly safe inside."

"Right, I forgot." The mother smiled reassured. The blank woman's left eyebrow gave a strange twitch.

"Can I go in, too?" Hitomi piped up, watching Uchida stand on tip-toe to scan her retinas. "I wanna see the lab."

"Don't you want a tour?" Megumi asked the girl. Her green eyes suddenly sparkled.

"Yes!"

"Then why don't you go on the tour with Miss Uchida and I'll make sure it's alright with your father for you to come inside the lab? We'll let you know when you get back."

"Okay!" the short-haired girl chirped. A part of the wall slid open silently and Megumi stepped through.

She waved goodbye to Hitomi as the little girl latched onto Miss Uchida's arm and began to talk at high speeds. The mother laughed to herself at the awkward pairing. The auburn-haired girl turned a corner with the child, leading her further from the radiation lab. Silently, the doors slid shut, locking her inside.

Walking slowly down the small hallway, her eyes caught the sight of yellow radiation suits. This was the first time she'd ever entered this back part of the labs. Despite the knowledge that the fossil was harmless, she couldn't help the twist of anxiety that churned in her stomach. What if it was harmful and we didn't know it yet?

"Megumi?" A familiar voice caught her attention. She blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Perking up and smiling at her husband, she crossed the hallway and entered a round room. She noticed Tsukasa was currently in the middle of detaching a metal rod from the bottom of a strange object. A low hum was issuing from strong plates on the top and bottom of the contraption. Fanel, his partner, was busy holding it steady. They both were frozen in surprise, looking at her.

"We forgot to close the door," Fanel pointed out uselessly.

"Seems like it." Her husband agreed.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here'? I came to see you like I promised." She answered in confusion.

"I wanted you to meet me _outside_ the labs. How did you get in?"

"Miss Uchida let me in. Didn't you tell her to?"

Kanzaki frowned for a moment before shrugging. "Perhaps I did. I don't remember giving her access to _this_ lab though, do you?" He turned to Fanel.

"Oh, who cares? This thing is heavy, Tsukasa." Goau grunted. "We could actually use a third pair of hands, if you don't mind, Mrs. Kanzaki. Can you grab a pair of those gloves next to the radiation suits?"

"Yes, sir," she saluted with a grin before hurrying off. Both men caught eyes and exchanged an amused look. Within seconds, she had the gloves on and was waiting for instructions.

"Alright, in a few minutes, the pressure plates will be deactivated and the Energist will be free. I want you to catch it before it falls, Mrs. Kanzaki. No, no, no! Don't put your hands in it right now! The pressure points will hurt you even through the gloves!" He announced quickly as Megumi immediately moved her hands closer to the object. She instantly retracted her limbs.

"You're sure this is okay?" she asked quietly to her husband. "Doesn't one of you want to be the first to hold it?"

He laughed. "We'll all get a chance to hold it later. Geez, you'd think it was a puppy or something."

"Well, it is kind of our baby."Fanel answered with a smirk.

"Still thinking of the name 'Kanzaki-Junior'? I _knew_ you liked that one."

"If it won't harm me, why do I need gloves?" Megumi interrupted. Her eyes were glued on the floating pink orb in front of her.

"That is just one more precautionary measure, Mrs. Kanzaki." The black-haired man answered, his face turning red from holding up the container. "We have yet to test it on bare skin yet."

Her husband bent to fiddle with the colored wires that stuck out at the bottom of the plate. "Oh, yeah," he said suddenly, grabbing a pair of small bent tweezers from the table. "Did you figure out the problem, Megumi?"

It took Megumi a moment to figure out what he was saying. "Oh! Yes, I did! And the…" She stopped. Taking her eyes away from the orb, the picture of death riding to meet them filled her mind. His flag was raised, the hoof of his horse coming closer to them. "It was… that is to say…"

"Watch it!" the black-haired man cried out.

Blinking out the vision, Megumi's breath caught in her throat as the humming of the pressure plates quickly receded into silence. With one hand, she reached out with her gloved fingers and caught the fossil in one sharp motion. It felt warm, even through the gloves. Holding it steady, she realized it was heavier than she originally imagined. She stared at the pink orb. It pulsed in her hand and she jumped in surprise.

"Did it just beat?"

"Like a heart." Fanel smiled, panting slightly. He handed the pressure plates to Kanzaki. "We've decided to name it Energist."

"Energist…" she repeated quietly, unable to stop looking at it. "That's a very good name for it."

"Isn't it incredible?" her husband groaned the words as he had set the heavy plates on the floor. "We've waited years to do this."

"Shouldn't you have waited for the rest of your staff before doing something so momentous?" Megumi asked in a slightly scolding way. She gently laid the fossil on the table and took off her gloves

Both scientists looked at each other and started laughing. "'Live in the constant impulsive dream'." Goau chortled.

Noticing Megumi's confused stare, her husband translated, "Those were my first words to Goau before we started this mess. Who'd have thought those words would bring us all the way here, eh?"

"They turned into our philosophy." The black-haired man smiled. "And probably will remain that way."

"Where is Hitomi?" Tuskasa asked suddenly with a thoughtful frown. "Wasn't she supposed to be with you?"

"Oh, she's with Miss Uchida." Megumi answered her husband. "Hitomi was so excited you told her she could come in."

"I never said-" the tall man began with a frown, but Fanel cut him off.

"Uchida's a strange one, but she knows her stuff. That's probably the main reason we hired her. She's the only one who could really translate what everyone was trying to say. Through her, the engineers, radiologists and paleontologist have been able to work together. She's really helped us a lot. I hope your girl isn't bored with her."

Tsukasa and Megumi exchanged an amused look. "It's probably the other way around."

* * *

_Pop. _

_Pop. _

_Pop._

Blood splattered the desk, floor, and wall. Three bodies slumped as the life soared out of their fresh corpses. Dilandau's bright eyes shinned with excitement. Human bodies were so frail, so easy. Two guards ran around the corner and one of the Dragon Slayers brought them down instantly with a well-aimed assault rifle. The red against white was almost intoxicating. Their scattered remains painted a red picture of hell.

"This is hell and I am death," The silver-haired youth whispered to himself. "I am death and these are my devils." His face changed into a light grin. "And the devils are hungry." More silent shots were heard as his Dragon Slayers moved further down the hallways. A short scream was silenced quickly by another popping sound. Slipping his guns into their holders at his hip, Dilandau pushed up his black sleeve and pressed a button on a device strapped to his wrist. Instantly, the small screen shinned with life. Tapping another button, the screen displayed a detailed map of the facility.

_Through here, _Dilandau thought turning to the visible rubber pad about ten feet behind him. _Here's the fingerprint scan. _

"The first lab has been cleared, sir." Viole announced quietly. The rest of the Dragon Slayers gathered behind the silver-haired boy, several laughing under their breaths. "There has been no alarm raised."

Reaching into his pocket, the silver-haired boy pulled out a detailed glove and worked his fingers through the fabric. He walked towards the hidden lab with leisure steps. "Excellent work, Dragon Slayers. Let's begin round two, shall we?"

* * *

"What's this thing do?" Hitomi asked the silent woman beside her. Running to a microscope, her green eyes studied the object in fascination. "Does it help with the radicative stuff?"

"Radioactive," the auburn-head corrected her immediately. "It is for the study of particles in certain atoms."

"That's amazing!" the girl announced in awe. "What's an atom?"

"It's the source of nuclear energy and can also be a basic unit of a chemical element."

"Wow… I have no idea what that means…" Hitomi whispered, still facing the microscope. "Do you use this?"

"I'm an assistant. I take care of the charts, run the errands, and process the information into databases. It's mostly for the different scientists and doctors in the lab, but my main job is for your father and Doctor Fanel."

The girl shifted her green eyes to the straight-backed woman. "That doesn't sound very fun, Miss Uchida. When do you play?"

"Play?" the woman asked, her eyebrow giving a twitch. "I haven't played… in a long time…" Her eyebrow jerked once more as she closed her dark eyes. "I haven't played since I was a girl… long ago… before they… took me…"With a groan, she covered her face with her hands, as if trying to blot out some memory that was trying to resurface.

"Miss Uchida? Are you alright?" Hitomi called, running closer to the woman. "Should I get a doctor? They can help."

"I'm... I'm fine." The woman said through her fingers. Her voice was back to the monotone, but her shoulders begun to shake. "They aren't those kind of doctors. I just have a headache... I'm remembering... why am I remembering it...?"

The girl stopped; her green eyes wide. "Miss Uchida…"

The auburn-haired woman collapsed on her knees. "I am unraveling. My mind can't feel, but my body remembers… it remembers what they did to me… I just wanted to play... why did they take me? But they won't. They won't use me anymore. No more."

"I think I need to go back to mom and dad." Hitomi announced with a shaky voice. She backed away slowly. "I'll go there by myself."

"Wait!" Uchida cried out, releasing her face and reaching out to grab Hitomi's foot. Her eyes were bright and feverish. "You can't go! Everything will burn! The Operation will destroy you!"

Wrenching her leg away from the woman's grasping fingers, the young girl ran down the hallway that would lead her to her father's radiation lab.

* * *

The room was lighted only by a small lamp at his table and the blinking screens in front of him. The ginger brown surface of his beech wood desk easily held the weight of the two huge monitors that perched on top of it. Clasping his fingers together, the old man sitting behind the desk rested his thin elbows on the arms of his leather chair and leaned forward to watch the live footage. Pressing his laced fingers to his lips, the old man's gray eyes hardly flinched at the visible gore. The small camera strapped to Dilandau's ear showed almost every bullet that was fired. There wasn't any sound with the video, but he didn't need to hear anything. The screams were clear on their victim's faces. Next to the camera video was a larger computer screen with various numbers changing, occasionally jumping to triple digits. A name was labeled above the every list of numbers. Every one of the Dragon Slayers was tagged; their hearts racing like raging beasts. One of the numbers was labeled Crying Gray. Another was Uchida Hanne.

A body on his video screen slumped in its seat, blood trickling down from a hole in his head. The dead man's computer screen behind him dripped thickly with the red fluid. Immediately, a Dragon Slayer rushed in, pushed the corpse out of the seat, and plugged in a huge flash drive. All the programs that were on the computer downloaded in an instant. Then, as the young man wrenched out the drive, he pumped several bullets into the computer's database, effectively destroying the information.

This was Operation RED. Get in, kill, download and destroy any and all information, and get out.

Such extreme measures were a necessity in the world he lived in.

Despite the graphic display in front of him, Dornkirk's gray eyes kept switching back to the monitor; watching for Crying Gray's heart to increase its speed. He noticed before that it started to beat a little harder for several minutes before calming back down. Whatever had made him break that calm demeanor was a mystery to the old man. The kid was a natural. The silver-haired boy surpassed all their expectations. Stoic, emotionless, and cruel.

Small warning beeps made the old man lean forward in surprise. Glancing down at Uchida Hanne's unnaturally high heart rate, Dornkirk frowned before settling back in his chair.

"So, the spy has awakened," he murmured to himself. "No matter, she won't last long if she unstable. Dilandau will see to that."

Switching back to the monstrous scene before him, Dornkirk sighed under his beard. Such a sad waste. A necessary waste, but still one all the same. The old man was never one for killing. He hired other people to take care of that nasty work. No, Dornkirk was more into protecting. And this little 'fossil' would be the downfall of every speculation he had used to build up Zaibach Corp. With more than half the world's electric companies signing mergers with him, he – within the span of two decades – quickly became the head of almost every major corporation that dealt with oil and electric power. Zaibach Corp. was top. And he meant to keep it that way.

And then Crying Gray came, and with his appearance, hints. Hints of an object that could tear down everything Dornkirk had worked so very hard for. Placing the spy – unstable as she was - in there had been the best move. Through her reports, he had everything he needed to know and more. However, as each test proved successful, the old man knew his firm grip on the world market slowly slipped. The little thing was the savior to modern society. It would fix all the problems of the world. Oil would no longer be needed with electric cars and rechargeable batteries. Power plants abandoned because the damned thing could power an entire country! Hell, it would even clear up the toxic waste issue!

If more of these things were found…

But no, no one has been able to find another. His men had taken over the dig site. He'd stopped all attempts to excavate the site. This was the only one. And soon it would be his to do with as he pleased. His problems will be over.

Watching the camera jerk as Dilandau's shoulder backfired from his pistols, Dornkirk's gray eyes hardened with resolve. In a way, he was saving the world from the financial bankruptcy, the total loss of jobs in the world, and keeping the world market from crashing. It looked like death now, but this was to protect the people as well as his investments. These were necessary deaths.

And he was secretly a hero.

* * *

The Dragon Slayers were marvelous. Almost too good, in Dilandau's opinion. Upon entering the sliding doorway, it was an immediate carnage. Dilandau was a bit disappointed. There were less than ten people in this back lab and they hardly put up a fight at all.

There had to be more…

"Search everywhere," the silver-haired boy commanded in a bored tone. His men spread out to obey, one of them slipping slightly in the spreading blood. Moving further down the room, Dilandau kicked a fallen body out of his way. "Disgusting," he grunted, his smile leaving his face. This was too easy. Where was the chase? Where was the begging?

Noticing a hallway, he held his pistol to his chest, ready to fire if someone happened to be walking down it. Slowly proceeding, Dilandau noticed a door on his left. Checking the handle, he saw that it was locked.

"Not a problem," he murmured to himself, raising his foot to kick the door in.

That was when he heard the gasp. Turning his feverish gaze away from the door, the boy couldn't believe his eyes.

Standing before him was a little girl.

And she let out a blood-curling scream.

* * *

Megumi felt her heart stop.

She knew that sound.

Giving only a half second to shoot her husband a panicked look, she turned to run with both men following her heels.

"Open this door!" she shrieked at no one in particular. Fanel made it to the door first and pounded on the release button. As the door slid open, Megumi watched as if in slow motion.

She saw a silver-haired boy, a menacing looking pistol in his hand. He was just down the hallway to the office door. He turned the gun towards the screaming child, her child – Hitomi.

Another blink later and the bullet left the gun. She could only watch as it traveled straight and true.

It hit her in the chest. Right through the heart. She jerked as it exploded out of her back. The little girl twitched once and then fell. She crumbled to a heap on the floor, her little clothes slowly staining themselves in her blood.

Megumi couldn't remember if she screamed or not. Sound ceased to exist.

Vaguely, the dark-haired woman registered another movement down the hall. She paid no attention to it. Every limb, every vein, every cell cried out to hold her child. Her lovely, sweet child. Running forward, she grabbed Hitomi's still warm body. Cradling her baby, she stumbled back into the radiation lab just as two more shots were fired.

* * *

Uchida staggered to her feet. Holding her head with one hand and bracing herself with the other, she wobbled down the hallway to follow the child. "Wait…" she whispered. "It's not safe…"

And then the scream. Uchida knew that scream. She had made that sound herself before. Long ago, but still so present.

And then the gunshot.

The auburn-haired woman's organs twisted and turned. She felt sick. Gathering her strength, she turned the corner just in time to see the little girl fall to the ground. Her dark eyes focused on the staining blood that slowly wept out of the child's back.

Something snapped her mind.

Instantly, her brain was clear; her muscles strong. She remembered the pain from long ago. The memories they had tried to erase from her. With a roar, she charged the gunman with inhuman speed.

_Let them regret giving me this training. Let them regret what they did to me._

And she smiled. She smiled as she swept past the crying mother. She smiled as she approached the gunman. And she smiled as she felt her body tackle the boy to the ground, forcing him to lose focus on Mrs. Kanzaki.

"What the hell? Damn it! You're on our side!" The silver-haired boy cursed as he squirmed to get out from under her. She moved to pin his arms and legs.

Turning around to glance at her two bosses standing at the doorway in shock, she was still smiling.

She heard only one of the two shots. The next thing she knew was the eternal blackness.

* * *

Uchida's distraction gave Fanel enough time to press the button and close the security door before the other gunman could get through. He turned and grabbed the red handle, which immediately initiated lock down. All doors were sealing. Glancing back with eyes full of pain and sorrow, he watched as his best friend ran through the closing doors that led to the round experimentation room. Leaning against the wall, he fixed his dark gaze on the white floor at his feet. Without a proper code, there was no way in or out. He prayed silently that somehow these gunmen hadn't tapped into this information as well.

Meanwhile, Kanzaki ran with Megumi to the radiation room. He tripped slightly on the heavy plates lying on the floor as the woman gently laid their child on the aluminum table. The dark-headed mother leaned over her little girl, whispering shakily.

"Baby, honey, please open your eyes. Don't do this. Please, baby, please…"

Tsukasa could only stare at the lifeless girl. Her skin was so pale. Her green eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

"She's gone," he whispered numbly. "She's gone."

"She's going to wake up. We have to stop this blood," Megumi choked through dripping tears. Hoisting Hitomi's upper body from the table, she pulled off the girl's red soaked shirt and held it to the bloody hole on her chest. Lying her gently down again, the mother hardly noticed she'd put the little girl's naked, blood-coated back on the pink pulsing Energist.

Megumi nodded her head, trying to desperately convincing herself. Her fingers shook as she pressed the little shirt to the wound. Her other hand caressed the girl's short brown hair."She's going to be okay. She'll be alright. My cards told me she'll live through this. She has to. She's the Queen. She's got a Knight to protect her. I saw it. I SAW IT!"

Grabbing the woman by the shoulders, he held her to his chest and wrapped his long arms around her shaking body. She broke down into racking sobs as his tears fell into her hair. Hitomi's blood soaked shirt fell from her hand with a wet slap on the ground.

"Tsukasa! They're breaking through!" He heard Fanel's muffled voice yelled through the closed doors. The tall man realized that his partner had initiated lock down and it had sealed the experimentation lab as well.

"I have to go, Megumi. I have to help him." Unwillingly, he removed his arms from around his wife. He grabbed the sides of her face gently to bring her closer to him. Cupping her tear-stained cheeks, he whispered lovingly, "Stay with Hitomi. You'll be safe in here. I won't let anyone get through. Do you understand? You'll be safe here."

"But what about you?" She murmured back her eyes wide from shock, fear, and disbelief. "If you die, I'll die with you."

"No!" Tsukasa cried out, shaking her a little. "You have to live, my love. You _have to live_!"

"I can't. Not without both of you!" Reaching up, she put her hands on the back of his head and crushed her lips to his. Both their tears intermingled together as they gave each other one last kiss goodbye.

Letting her go and turning away from her, the tall man pressed the release button on the side of the door and punched in a code. Megumi could only watch in helpless horror as her husband walked through the opening doors. "I love you forever!" He called, not looking back at her. She moved instinctively to follow him, but the doors closed on her just in time.

"No, no, no, no, no…" she whispered, banging her fists uselessly against the solid door. Slowly, she slid to her knees and wept.

* * *

"What are they doing?" Kanzaki asked Fanel tensely, wiping his tears off his face. His bloodshot green eyes were sharp.

"They dialed in a code, but I think it was the wrong one. They'll figure it out eventually. From what I can tell, that gunman before is there with one other. It's two on two."

"Who knows how many more there are out there in the labs. I hope everyone was able to escape somehow."

"We can only pray."

The taller man turned to his friend. "Is there any way to get out of the building besides the front doors?"

Goau bit his lip in concentration. "I'm not sure. I think there might be a circulation vent in our office closet. It would be a crawl and you_ are_ a big guy."

Despite the situation, Kanzaki's green eyes gave a light twinkle. "Okay, we just need to hold them off here and get Megumi to the office."

Turning to look around the room, Goau felt his heart sink in fear and disappointment. The situation was bad. Really bad. They were at the worst dead end in the entire building. There wasn't much cover for bullets. His dark eyes raked over the line of suits on the wall.

The radiation suits would give some protection. Not much, but maybe enough to help cushion a shot or two.

"Grab a suit," the black-haired man ordered running to the side and pulling out two. He threw it to his friend.

"We don't have enough time to change into these!" Tsukasa stated obviously.

"When they come in, we use them as shields!"

"Oh…" The taller man blinked several times and nodded slowly.

"What about weapons?"

"I have an idea." Kanzaki stated with determination.

Turning from the door, the brown-haired man threw his suit over his shoulder, ran to a large cabinet on the wall, and withdrew a set of small keys from his white coat. "We are not completely defenseless. We just have to improvise a bit."

"Live in the constant impulsive dream…" Fanel said with the shadow of an ironic smile.

"Exactly," Kanzaki nodded seriously. "We might not survive this, but we'll take down as many bastards as we can. Just enough to get Megumi safely out." Opening the cabinet, he reached in to pull out a small hydrogen tank. "The engineers had a tank in here for storage. It was to help fuel the stabilizer down in the dome. The gas in this sucker could make some fireworks for our friends. That would give us enough time to try to grab for a gun. It's tricky and probably stupid, and we might blow ourselves up in the process, but this might work."

Tying the arms of the bulky suit around his neck, Fanel grabbed two radiation masks. Kanzaki picked up the tank and set it on its side. With a determined look, the taller man shoved the helmet on his head and gave a thumb up.

Suddenly, both men froze. Their blood running cold.

The door in front of them began to slide open.

With an angry yell, Kanzaki violently shoved the rolling hydrogen tank across the floor just as a black gloved hand snaked around the corner and began firing at random.

"Duck!" Fanel yelled, covering his head with the mask. Pressing himself against the side wall, he saw the taller man hold up the suit just as bullets rained the area.

**BOOM**!

The explosion was bigger than both scientists had anticipated. Fanel was thrown backwards into the door to the round chamber. He felt the hair on his skin sizzle in the heat. The dark-headed man couldn't remember screaming, but he wouldn't have been able to hear his voice anyway. The fire roared as bits of the exploded hydrogen tank burst like deadly sheet metal daggers. Coughing, thankful for the suit that took most of the damage, he waited till everything was completely quiet. Lifting his singed arms to take off the protective helmet, he groaned with pain.

Blinking through the clouds of smoke, Goau turned to where his friend had taken cover.

"Tsukasa, are you okay?"

There was silence. A quiet dread began to fill Fanel's stomach. Shifting on shaking knees, the man crawled through the fallen debris toward a large, still body. Kanzaki's face was covered with the helmet, his body only half covered in the radiation suit. A sharp cry escaped Goau's mouth.

A large piece of metal stuck out of Tsukasa's chest.

"Oh, my God…" the dark-haired man breathed, his voice coming in panicked gasps. Crawling despite the pain, he reached his friend and raised a shaking, burnt hand to gently release the clasp on his helmet. Lifting the mask, Goau studied the face of his best friend.

"Yo…" Tsukasa grunted his face screwed in pain. "There seems to be a problem with my body."

Fanel's stomach clenched with horror. "You have metal sticking out of your chest."

There was a pause. The man's green eyes traveled slowly to look at his chest. "Oh," he whispered, swallowing thickly. "Wow, you're right."

"Stop talking, you idiot." Fanel's voice cracked slightly. His vision blurred through tears. "I'm going to cover you in more suits, hold on."

"There's no point, Goau." Kanzaki answered, shaking his head slowly. His body had begun trembling from shock. "I have to tell you. 7483. Under the bridge."

"What are you-"

"Repeat it," His friend demanded through a squelching cough.

"7483. Under the bridge. Under what bridge? I don't underst-"

"7483 is my part of the code for the safe in the office. It's all up to you now. Promise to remember, under the bridge."

"I-I promise, but I don't know-?"

A gun blast interrupted Fanel from continuing. He ducked as debris flew everywhere.

"You killed Shasta! You killed him, you bastards!" An insane cry sounded from the doorway. The smoke cleared to reveal the young gunman from before. His pale skin was burnt and raw. Goau saw the wild silver-haired youth grasp his side in pain. Laying his radiation suit over Kanzaki's prone body, Fanel grabbed a bit of sharp, scrap metal lying next to him. The make-shift weapon sliced his hand, but he ignored the pain.

The boy stumbled, panting and bracing himself against the wall. The black-haired man stood on shaking legs. He clinched the metal in his hand fiercely and felt blood dripping down his fingers.

With a speed he didn't know he possessed, he charge at the youth with dagger raised.

* * *

"No, no, no, no!" Megumi pounded on the door, her eyes dripping tears. "I can't be left like this! I won't!"

Forcing herself to stand shakily, she used her sleeve to wipe her blurry vision. "I have to think of something." Glancing around the closed-door, her brown-eyes found the keypad latch that was attached to the wall. Running to it, her breath was unsteady, her heart pounding with fear for her husband. She reached for the release latch and stopped. Staring blankly at the number pad, she closed her eyes to stop the fresh wave of tears that threatened to spill.

"Oh, God, I don't know the code to open it…"Clenching her fists on the wall, she sighed shakily under her breath.

_Relax_.

A familiar feeling loomed in her subconscious. The fog was on the outskirts of her mind, waiting.

**BOOM**!

The entire room shook. She shrieked and covered her ears as the blast echoed around the round chamber. Falling to her knees, she braced herself on the floor to wait for the tremor to subside.

"What-what happened? Tsukasa!" Megumi yelled, her brown-eyes widening. "Tuskasa, don't you die on me!"

Picking herself off the ground, she squared her shoulders in resolve. With her mind slowly calming, the woman let the fog overtake her brain as she lifted a hand to the number pad in front of her. Instinctively, she pressed several random digits into the pad. With a wailing screech, the door slowly opened, obviously jammed a bit by debris from the explosion.

Whirling, her heart pounding, Megumi moved towards the doorway.

* * *

Goau roared as he hacked at the boy with his scrap metal. It hit the wall. The boy ducked underneath his arm and lifted his pistol for a point-blank shot. Fanel turned and slashed upward slicing the boy's smooth cheek from chin to scalp. The camera strap around Dilandau's ear ripped and broke. The pain of the slice made the boy twitch, firing a wild shot behind Fanel.

"My face…" the boy whispered, cowering in front of the black-haired man. He dropped the gun and it bounced harmlessly on the dirty floor. Placing both hands on his torn cheek, his eyes shook with pain and shock. "You cut my face."

"I'm about to do a lot worse." Goau whispered murderously lifting his blood covered weapon.

Suddenly, the fire alarms rang out. The piercing shrill forced the man to cover his ears in pain. The distraction was just long enough for the young boy to crawl out of harms way. His face was a mask of blood and horror.

"Wait, you!" Fanel called as the boy vanished out of the room and into the hallway. Gasping from the screaming noise and loss of adrenaline, the black-haired man stumbled to the hallway to follow. Glancing back at his friend's body, Goau's eyes widened as he caught sight of the open round chamber. And lying in the doorway was-

"Megumi…?" He murmured weakly. Shifting back into the room, he collapsed on his knees as his legs gave out. "Megumi… no…"

Crawling through the fallen wreckage, he made his way slowly to Tsukasa Kanzaki. He lifted the radiation suits to find his best friend already gone from this world. Slowly, he reached out his uninjured hand to close those staring green eyes.

"Under the bridge. Your last words to me and I'll never know what they mean, Tsukasa."

Turning to shuffle further on his burnt knees and palms, Goau reached the other body just in the doorway of the radiation chamber. She had opened it somehow. He knew she didn't have the code and Kanzaki would have never told her. Then how did this happen?

Megumi lay sprawled on the floor, a small bullet hole in her head. Her expression was one of shock. There was no pain in her face. Her blood was slowly pooling out of her head. He wondered if that was because her heart had stopped immediately. The wild shot that the boy had done.

It had been intended for him.

Megumi had taken it instead.

And he let the boy escape. The piercing alarm was soundless in his ears. Fanel knew he was going into shock. There were no tears. There would never be enough for this.

Rolling his staring eyes away from Megumi, Fanel saw the little body of Hitomi lying on the table.

Fanel's mind was in a state of complete numbness. They were all gone.

All the Kanzaki's were dead.

* * *

Hitomi glanced at the path in front of her. The fog made it a bit hard to see, but if this was where they wanted her to go, then she'd have to find her way through. Swinging her arms as she walked, she hummed a little song she couldn't remember learning. It was soft and mellow.

The little girl stopped, her green eyes widening in surprise. A large figure was slowly coming closer on the path. It looked like a man, but she just wasn't sure.

"Hello," she called out, her voice dropping to the floor. The dense fog refused to carry any sound. "My name is Hitomi Kanzaki. Are you walking here, too?"

The figure took several steps closer. Her face brightened with recognition. The telltale white doctor's coat draped long on his tall frame as he stopped walking and raised his arms. His face was shinning radiantly in one of his eye-crinkling grins.

"It's you, daddy!" She cried excitedly. "Why didn't you come earlier?"

Her father didn't answer. Just held his arms out.

She increased her speed, but something ran past her. Another adult.

"Mama…" the girl whispered, stopping in her tracks. The woman didn't even look her way. She leaped into his waiting arms and embraced him tightly.

"Mama, Daddy, I'm here too!" Hitomi yelled watching the couple smiling at each other. They paid no attention to her.

_They are not of this universe anymore_. A voice whispered gently in her head.

The green-eyed girl blinked back her tears. "They're not? Then why do I see them?"

_Because you were on your way there, but I stopped you._

"You mean I'm not going with them?" Tears started to slip down her pale cheeks. She watched her parents walked away with their arms draped around each other. Lifting a foot to follow them, the girl gasped as the ground began to break apart were she stood. Quickly, she backed up on safer ground. The path continued to crumble right at her feet. "They are leaving me behind?"

_You have to go back. It is all part of your destiny. _

"Destiny? I don't know that word. I want to be with mama and daddy!" The couple was almost overcome by the fog. She could just make out their bulky shape.

_This is the way it must be. Your parents have already left._

Hitomi reached up and wiped her eyes. "They're gone? Forever?"

The voice was calm, reassuring, _They are not gone forever. They will wait for you. _

"Are you sure?"

_You still have work to do. It's time for you to wake up now. _

* * *

Fanel felt the heat of the fires coming from the hallway, but he couldn't find the strength to pick himself off the ground. Kneeling close to Megumi's body, the man was frozen inside. All of this life, gone. Wiped from the face of the earth in less than ten minutes. Could it have been only an hour ago he and Kanzaki were joking about names for the fossil?

And now, everything's destroyed.

"Well, not everything." Goau whispered to himself, his vision wavering in the fogginess of his mourning heart. There was still the research that was safely hidden. However, with the fire spreading in the hallway, it was probably in danger of igniting their office as well. Looking up from the floor, he blinked the murky tears out of his eyes. If this was the one thing he could save that was Kanzaki's, he'd damn well make sure it was safe.

Glancing at where they had left the Energist on the table, the black-haired man blinked in surprise and wiped the rest of his tears away. This had to be a joke.

There was no way. He saw her get shot.

He saw her _die._

With her green eyes open, Hitomi was sitting up on the table. Her small hands clutched the sides of the table. Suddenly, her body gave a strange twitch and Goau couldn't help but gasp.

A bright green glow was enveloping her back. The same color as the Energist's antimatter residue. The light seemed to fade as the residue worked its way through the girl's body.

The green light came out from her shot wound on her chest. Her mouth fell open and her green eyes widened as if the life was slowly coming back to her.

Goau watched in frozen astonishment as the skin knitted slowly back together on her chest.

The girl gave a shuddering breath.

Hitomi was _alive_.

* * *

Annnnnd scene.

Wow. So, I don't blame anyone for throwing fruit at me *ducks*, but that was necessary. I literally almost cried at work while I wrote this (I can work on this and get paid! Muhaha!). Anyways… It was horrible (and yet fun in a very odd sense of the word) to write. This is the first time I've actually really killed people like that in my stories. And I _really liked _Tsukasa and Megumi, especially Tsukasa. I liked how he was a goofball. And then I killed him.

...Man, I'm a jerk...

Like I said, this one is going to be quite the adventure. But don't fret. The next chapter should be pretty laid back compared to these first two. And it's all done except for editing! Look at me, typing all my story out. lol! *ducks more fruit*

Well, if you liked it, it surprised you, or you want to electronically pelt me with fruit, there is a way to do that. It's right below this.

I hope you _did _enjoy it though. :) There was a song that helped with this chapter if you guys want to check it out. It's called "Riverside" by Agnes Obel. Probably the saddest song I've ever heard in my life.

blue…


	3. Escape

Wow, even I'm surprised at how fast I am updating on this. I'm on a roll! It's so much fun! This chapter doesn't contain as much action as the last two, but it was necessary. I'll hopefully be able to write more Varie and Van in the next chapter. Actually, I know I will because I'm already editing this next chapter.

Good job, myself. :)

Thank you, myself.

Well, despite the lack of action, there is definitely some drama going to happen soon. And some answers will be given. And some V/H is going to begin (because let's face it. That's the only reason you are reading this story anyways, right? ;)

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Goau knew he must be in several stages of mental shock. Probably a visual hallucination due to stress and fatigue.

There was no way this could be true unless his mind had fabricated it. She was dead. He had seen her get shot. Fall to the ground. Lifeless…

And yet… and yet…

The green-eyed girl gave another gasping breath as if there wasn't enough air in the room. The skin around her wound was fully closed, yet the eerie green tint still lingered on her chest. Picking himself up from the floor, the dark-haired man coughed through the accumulating smoke. No wonder the girl couldn't breathe. The fire was spreading to the room.

"Hitomi?" He called, still coughing slightly. He stumbled his way to the little girl. She hardly seemed to notice him. "Hitomi, child, can you hear me?"

Tripping over the plates on the ground, Fanel staggered up to her. He caught sight of the Energist on the table's surface behind her. It gave a weak pump, lacking its usual pink luster. Mouth opening in awe, Goau zipped his eyes from the Energist to the little girl and back again. The entire green antimatter residue was absent from the left atrium. Reaching out with a burnt hand, he touched the spot on her soft skin where her gunshot used to be on her chest. Promptly, he gently leaned her small body forward to inspect her back. Incredible. If the blood wasn't still congealing on her skin, he would have never thought she had been shot.

"What happened?" He asked out loud, picking up the fossil. It gave another feeble pulse in his hand. It was not as hot as he knew it could be. In fact, it actually was cool to his touch.

A distant, raging explosion rocked the room, instantly reminding him of the problems at hand. With a determined cough, he dropped the Energist in his white coat pocket before carefully picking up the small, comatose girl. Cradling her small body to his chest to protect her from the heat, Fanel began to stride quickly out of the chamber. He felt a pang of sorrow hit his heart as he stepped over Megumi's crumpled body lying in the middle of the doorway. He cuddled Hitomi tighter in his arms and turned her head so that her face was against his shoulder. Comatose or not, she didn't need to see.

His dark eyes immediately gazed upon his best friend and partner on the floor. The radiation suits covering him were already on fire, slowly spreading to his clothes. Fanel fought the urge to vomit. He stopped for only a second to take in their still faces, his eyes burning with grief and smoke. He forced the image to be branded on his mind.

"I'll take care of her. I promise. I'll get revenge for you, my best friend. They will pay for this." He swore to him.

Running past the scattered radiation suits and dodging already flaming areas, he tripped several times and had to catch himself. It was more difficult that he had originally planned. Without the use of his arms, Goau relied on his burnt legs and feet to kick debris out of his way. After several suffocating and sweaty seconds, he finally cleared into the hallway. The boy they had hit with the hydrogen tank was lying as a twisted burnt corpse. Turning to the office doorway, he stepped over another burning carcass that might have been Uchida.

Reaching the door, he placed Hitomi on fire-free ground to fish out his keys from his back pocket. He watched with his peripheral vision for her steady breathing as he fumbled with the scorching hot lock. His bloody fingers slipped on the fiery metal door handle, burning his hand.

"Son of a-!" he cursed, using his coat to help open the door. Bursting through, he grabbed Hitomi's limp arms and carried her through the threshold. He felt her cough.

"It's alright," he murmured reassuringly in the girl's ear as he coughed as well. "I'll protect you, honey. I'll get us out." Using his foot, he kicked the door closed for more protection from the raging fire. Placing her on the floor again, he ran to the metal desk and flipped it on its side like a madman.

His cellphone slipped off the table and clattered at his feet. He unthinkingly grabbed and placed it in his pants pocket before settling on his tattered knees to pry up the tile floor where the desk used to be. It was hard work, especially with his hands already pealing from the burns and the large slice on his palm. He could still hear the squealing fire alarm, but it had almost faded into an afterthought. Every fiber in his being concentrated on getting the floorboard loose.

"Finally!" he coughed triumphantly as he threw the title away. He looked up to check on Hitomi. She was sitting up watching him, but her breathing was slow and shallow. Her green eyes were still cloudy.

The door to the room was on fire.

Whipping his gaze to the floor, he coughed violently into his shirt before reaching in to unlock the hidden safe. It was an eight digit-code steel box that both he and Kanzaki had used to store the original records of the fossil. Both of them agreed to carry a part of combination for safety's sake. He was thankful the tall man had thought to tell him his code. Everything they had worked for – all of their hard years – summed up in this simple container. Punching in his four numbers plus the ones Kanzaki had told him, the safe clicked open. There was only a small folder inside. Fanel reached in, stuffed the folder in the back of his pants, and turned to pick up Hitomi. She wasn't there.

He gasped and felt a small hand on his shoulder. She was standing right behind him with her wide, fogged eyes focused on his.

Grabbing her palm and moving to the closet area, he opened the door and pulled cardboard storage boxes out of his way.

There is was. The vent that would lead them outside. Goau grimaced. It was _tiny!_

With strength he knew he couldn't possibly have, he clasp his bloody fingers on the rims of the vent and yanked with everything he had. There was a groan from the metal crate, but it didn't budge. He cursed and tried again, his arms screaming at him to stop. His grip slipped on the blood dripping steadily from his palm.

He felt the small hand again and glanced back to see Hitomi holding a metal rod that broke from the overturned desk. He shot her an appreciative smile – which she didn't return - took the bar from her, and wedged it into one of the vent's edges. With a satisfying screech, the vent popped off.

"In you go, girl." Goau coughed ferociously, grabbing the small girl's bare arms and gently pushing her into the vent's hole. She glanced behind to look at him. He translated the nonverbal movement as worry for him.

"I'll be right behind you," he reassured, ducking into the closet. "Just crawl as fast as you can."

* * *

Dornkirk sat at his desk, no longer stroking his white beard, no longer dreaming happily of the stabilized future he'd built in his mind.

What just happened?

The screen that had once been showing the gory details of the Dragon Slayer's pillaging was now a static ruin. Pressing buttons on the monitor with his bony fingers, Dornkirk pursed his lips angrily as the images of Fanel suddenly flashed on display. He let the video rewind a little longer till Dilandau entered the abandoned hallway. Pressing play, he watched through Dilandau's eyes as the young man lifted a leg to kick at the door to an office. The camera shifted suddenly to the hallway and the old man watched through squinted eyes as the girl opened her mouth to let out – what was obviously – a loud scream.

A section of the wall opened not a second later as a hand on his right side of the screen lifted a pistol and shot the girl in the chest. Dornkirk saw the mother grab her child as Uchida Hanne instantly appeared out of no where and tackled the boy to the ground. The camera caught every splatter of her blood as the woman jerked back from a shot in her head. The camera swiveled and another Dragon Slayer – Shasta – slid into view with his gun raised. The door where the mother came out of was gone. The lights flashed as an apparent lock down was initiated.

Shaking his head in irritation, he watched as both boys feverishly typed in codes to get the doors unlocked. It must have been at least five minutes. "This is pathetic," he muttered.

Finally, the doors were open. The old man leaned forward in his chair to study the screen. He flew with Dilandau as the boy got blasted back from the exploding hydrogen tank. That was a genius move by Fanel and Kanzaki. It was really a pity they had to die.

The camera was still for more than a minute as silver-haired boy obviously regained his senses. The image wobbled as he crawled towards his companion Dragon Slayer, Shasta. The boy was dead, his flesh pealing from the fire. The vision of the gore was covered by Dilandau's own hands as he covered his head. The boy was mourning over the corpse.

The old man clucked his tongue. This will not do. He feels too much. Unstable.

The boy staggered into the room with his pistol; the camera shook and weaved with him.

Immediately, the old man pressed 'slow' forcing the scene to play at half speed. Fanel was up, running towards Dilandau with murder in his eyes. The old man folded his hands, watching. The heavy chamber doors behind the scientist opened and a woman's figure was shown. The mother. What was she doing in that back chamber? Where was the little girl she had grabbed before?

As the woman dropped to the ground from an apparent bullet in the head from Dilandau, Dornkirk's bushy eyebrow's raised.

What was that behind the woman? The video fuzzed out. He pushed rewind. Playing the scene over, even in a slower speed, it was hard to make out. But there was something... A table? As the monitor showed the static of a lost connection, he narrowed his gray eyes. Pushing rewind once more, Dornkirk leaned to the monitor so far that his large nose touched the screen. A small leg? The child that was shot? The image went static. Refusing to give in, Dornkirk rewound the scene one more time, his eyes glued on the chamber door. It opened and the mother came out. Down goes the mother. And behind her… The child on the table… and… her leg moved…? Or was that the camera angle?

It was only a glimpse. The video wasn't clear enough. He'd have to get his team on it. Dornkirk had a feeling this was important. And he always trusted his feelings.

With the video replayed, the old man judged the heart monitors to his left. He'd lost one Dragon Slayer and the spy. She had actually attacked Dilandau before getting killed herself. He moved his hands to clutch the armrests of his chair in frustration. What was the training program for if they make spies that default at the most crucial moment of the Operation? Why spend all the money brainwashing if everything falls completely apart? And the visual of the fossil. There was none. He couldn't confirm that the fossil was even at the site! They could have absconded with it as soon as the attack began! And it was quite clear from the video that Fanel probably survived the attack. Slamming his bony hand on the desk, the monitors shook with the impact.

No, no, this was not how it should have turned out. It's all the Dragon Slayers' fault. They came in too confident. They should have been more aware of Fanel and Kanzaki's abilities. The scientists had the advantage of knowing their surroundings. Either the Dragon Slayers would need to be transferred to another sector for retraining, or they should be under new command.

"Dilandau has caused me too many problems." He whispered under his beard, gray eyes moving to the wild sporadic heartbeats of his commander. "I'll have to end him. He'll default if I don't. But who would be able to take his place?" Slowly, his gaze traveled down to the steady beats of Crying Gray…

With that decided, Dornkirk lifted a bony hand to pick up a phone.

* * *

Fanel collapsed and leaned his sore back on the trunk of a tree. Though he felt like he had been running for miles, there was still a bright glow in the trees from inflamed building behind him. His once wonderfully constructed lab was beginning to implode as multiple fires burst inside. Holding Hitomi in his arms, he hugged the little girl to his chest. They both panted and coughed consecutively for a good handful of minutes. After army crawling through a smaller-than-life vent filled with poisonous gas, the outside air was almost too clear for either of their lungs to handle.

"We-survived," he whispered to her hoarsely. He hugged her tighter to him in relief. "We-did-it."

He felt her nod slightly on his chest and give a shiver. It was then he realized she didn't have a shirt on. "Oh God, I'm sorry," he said through his weak throat. "You need something to wear. You're covered in ashes."

She lifted her small head off his dirty clothes, sat back on his lap, and stared him right in the face. Slowly, her green eyes trailed down his arm to his bloody palm that was now draped over her short legs.

"I'm not much better, huh?" Goau translated quietly. "You're sweet to notice but I think we should take care of you." She didn't respond and just kept staring at his hand.

"I'll take care of the hand first, I promise," he seceded gently.

She looked back into his eyes with a small smile. A strike of pain streaked in his chest as a memory of those same green eyes filled his mind. A burn appeared behind his eyes that had nothing to do with the smoke he just battled through.

Lifting her off his lap, he grunted in pain and slowly removed his lab coat. Taking the edge of it, he used both hands to attempt to rip the seam to make a bandage. The fabric wouldn't budge.

He laughed despite the throbbing pain in his hand. "They make it look so much easier on TV, huh? Let's see if I remembered my wallet - not that I can use my credit cards or anything." He added as an afterthought.

She gave him a curious look. He answered her unasked question.

"Who knows what those people wanted. We can't risk getting located by bank accounts and cellular phones. They probably wanted the Energist and the research. I was able to get it away from them, but we are probably in danger. We've gotta be outlaws now. I guess we are stuck together." He smiled into her green eyes.

He leaned over and wrapped his coat around her small bare shoulders. She looked down at the dirty coat in interest. Fanel found himself wishing the girl would say something back. He had no idea the extent of damage that was done to her.

But that was a problem to solve for another hour. Right now, they needed first aid and supplies. Survival was always first priority.

"That coat should help you until we can get better clothes. It's pretty warm, right?"

She stared at him.

Shaking his head with a sigh, he reached down to search his pant pockets. His dark eyes widened as he pulled out his cellphone. Vaguely, he remembered picking it up from the ground in the office. Almost on reflex, he pressed in the code to unlock the phone. The name that displayed on the screen made him take a quick sharp breath. The sudden intake of air made him choke.

"Varie…" he coughed roughly. Was she attacked, too? Did they come for her just as they came for Kanzaki's family? Glancing at the girl, who was exploring the outside pockets of his white coat, he felt immediate guilt and fear punch his stomach. He hadn't even thought maybe the assassins would go after his family as well. If they _had_ tapped his number they would know his entire circumstance with his ex-wife and their sons… Whoever it was that did this, they had to know he wasn't in contact with his family. Varie said just yesterday that she blamed him for their separation because he kept her in the dark about his projects. For good reason, it seems.

Just seeing the number in his missed calls list made his head swim with panic. Maybe it didn't matter. They would have been hunted regardless just because they were associated with him.

Knowing his number was probably traced, he decided to brave checking the voicemail before destroying the phone for good. Maybe, she was still alive. Her and Van and Folken… Holding the phone in his uninjured hand, Fanel hardly noticed Hitomi pull out something from his coat. Dialing and prompting the service to check his voicemail, he waited breathlessly.

There was a silence. Then,

"Fireflies."

The call ended. Fanel closed his eyes and leaned against the tree in relief. Fireflies. She was safe. No one would be able to translate that. Not any secret society. She was with the fireflies. That means Jajuka's cabin. The first time they-

He heard a small gasp and opened his dark eyes immediately.

"Hitomi, what are you-?"

The little girl had the Energist in her hands, her green eyes open, and her mouth gaping wide. He made a move to grab the fossil out of her hands, but she pulled away from him keeping the stone to her chest. That was when he saw it. The green residue – no – the antimatter itself was clawing out of the small hole made inside the left atrium. It poured itself out willingly and soaked into her skin.

Right where her heart was.

She was absorbing antimatter.

A strange noise came from his hand. His phone… was recharging?

"What?" Fanel couldn't think. His brain seemed unable to process anymore information. The Energist pulsed once in her small hands before quieting down. The antimatter that had sucked into her chest was gone from the fossil. All of it.

His phone made a strange humming noise. The sound grew extraordinarily louder.

"Whoa!" the dark-headed man yelled as his phone shot off small sparks. He dropped it. The cellular device burst into little flames as soon as it hit the ground.

"What just happened?" Goau breathed to himself. He began gasping in short breaths, stars enveloping his vision. "This isn't possible. This can't be happening. She just took the antimatter out of the- and then it- and it- what is going on here? She was dead before and now- and the Energist- it's completely drained- what is happening? My phone…"

Little Hitomi closed her eyes and mouth. Still cradling the Energist, she glanced back up at the hyperventilating man. Her green eyes were clear, more alert than ever before.

"Mr. Fanel? Where are we?"

All Goau could do was stare. The metallic smell of burnt plastic circled his head from his destroyed phone. _Well, Tsukasa, _he thought through his shock. _I can think of a few more hypotheses now._

* * *

Dilandau ran a hand under his nose to stop the snot from dripping into his mouth. His tears ran off his face and into his head set.

"I can hear you sniveling on the line. I'm making an educated guess here. The mission was a failure."

"Shut up!" the silver-haired boy cried, wiping his nose. "It was all Fanel's fault!"

There was a pause. Then the cool voice asked, "What do you mean? He's still-?"

"He's still alive, Crying Gray! And it's his entire fault! He ran towards me with a piece of metal. My face… my face is mutilated… and I let him live! I ran from the building and abandoned the mission! Shasta's dead! I didn't even see the fossil! He ruined everything!"

"Alright now, calm down."

"I can't calm down! I'm dead, Gray! I'm DEAD! And it's all Fanel's fault!"

The silver-haired boy broke out into racking sobs as the low voice on the line sighed with frustration or exhaustion. Probably both.

"You can't run away, Dilandau. Dornkirk will catch you no matter where you go."

"I can get rid of the tracer! He won't have me if I leave the country."

"Who do you think owns most of the world?" Crying Gray hissed angrily. "He will find you no matter where you go. Running away will only make the situation that much worse."

"Then… then what do I do?" Dilandau demanded through sobs. "I don't want to die."

"He may forgo killing you if you reason with him. You'll go back to training no matter what though."

"Oh God, I don't want to go back to training! I wouldn't make it through that again! They'll kill me for sure! I'm not good with reason! I'll probably get myself killed even if I _tried_ to reason with him! Maybe if _you_ came back with me when I go to make the report…"

"Not happening."

"You could make him see reason! He likes you! Crying Gray, please! You have to help me! You were right, I was too confident! I didn't plan better! I need you! I _need_ you!"

"That doesn't mean that I need you." Gray replied stoically. "What's in it for me if I bail you out to Dornkirk? You're just going to get put back into training anyways."

"We could be a team! I'll follow whatever you say!"

"An unstable assassin following me around? You can do better than that, Dilandau."

"I'll help you catch Fanel!"

Crying Gray didn't reply. There was another long pause. The silver-haired boy took that as an invitation.

"Yeah! I'll help you catch and kill him! Dornkirk will probably assign that mission to you since you took care of his family! I'll help you hunt him down!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes! Together we could find him within the week my training is done and put an end to him."

"So while you are in training for failure, I wait around for you while Fanel runs further and further from my grasp? Are you implying I can't catch him on my own?" Crying Gray retorted sharply. "You're a fool, Dilandau, and I'd rather you dead than working with me."

"I-I didn't mean it like that…" The boy whispered shakily. "I wouldn't be working _with_ you! I-I'll work _for_ you! I'll be your right-hand man regardless if you have caught Fanel or not! I'll be your personal bodyguard."

"How long are you planning to be my personal bodyguard?"

"For as long as you need me!"

"And this is if I go with you to report to Dornkirk? Even if he puts you back into training?"

"As soon as I'm out again, request me! I'll protect you, Crying Gray! Just request me!"

Crying Gray was quiet again, this time for a completely different reason. A blinking light appeared on his computer screen. Gray quickly activated the trace program to find where the cellular phone was calling from. His body unnaturally still, he watched the numbers scroll through the screen; slowly narrowing to an exact spot. _Almost..._

The trace broke off. Failed. Gray's anger was hardly evident in both his expression and body, but his soul seethed with rage.

_Nice try destroying your phone, father. I'll find you..._

"Crying Gray? Are you there?" Dilandau's panicked voice whispered in his headphones.

The young man's mahogany eyes narrowed.

"It's a deal."

* * *

The morning sun slowly broke through the foliage lighting his surroundings. _Good, _the dark-headed man thought, _At least I'll stop tripping over hidden roots in the dark. _Shifting the small, sleeping girl in his arms, he raised his bloody hand to tuck his tattered lab coat around her body. The Energist was wrapped safely in the inside pocket of the coat.

Though his body was fatigued beyond human comprehension, he kept going. His feet kept moving forward. His throat was parched. He didn't remember the last time he had a proper meal. Everything he'd worked for was destroyed. Everything he'd lived for these past years had been wiped from him within the span of twenty minutes or so. And on top of that, he didn't have his wallet. What was he supposed to do? He could go to Jajuka, but how would he possibly get the money for bus fare? Vaguely, he wondered if Varie was worried for him.

"Mr. Fanel?" he heard a muffled voice whisper in his ear. He jerked at the unexpected sound. "Why did that stone thing save me?"

Goau sighed.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I'm just as puzzled as you."

"It made me feel better. I could hardly control my body in the fire building, but when I held it in the forest a while back, I was able to move. My head wasn't so foggy." Her small hands gripped the back of his shirt. "Mr. Fanel, can I ask you something?"

Goau swallowed. "I promise I'll answer as best I can."

She lifted her face off his shoulder. He stopped walking for a moment and stared straight into deep green eyes. _Tsukasa's eyes._

"What happened to my mama and daddy?"

If Goau had the hands available, he would have face-palmed himself. _Why did I promise to answer her questions? _Looking into her solemn expression, he immediately knew she already understood what had happened. She was confirming it. He stared her straight in those bright green eyes.

And decided to tell the truth.

"They are dead. The bad men killed them. Do you remember what happened in the hallway?"

She nodded slowly. "My chest hurt really bad and then I was floating. What happened after that?"

Goau winced, wondering if this was a good idea. "Your mother seems to have laid you on the table on top of the Energist – that stone thing. It has somehow brought you back."

She bowed her head and he thought for a moment she was going to cry.

"I heard a voice," the girl whispered suddenly. "After I floated, I was in a foggy place and my daddy came. Mama ran to him and they left together. The voice told me I couldn't go with them yet. It said there was stuff I was supposed to do."

Fanel blinked. He briefly wondered how much more information his overloaded brain could take.

"Did you see who was talking to you?"

She shook her small head. "No. It spoke in my head."

"Did they say anything else? Give you any kind of identification at all?"

"Identification..." Hitomi muttered under her breath, frowning. "What does that mean?"

Goau shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

He was quiet for a moment. "Do you know what 'under the bridge' means?"

"Under the bridge?" she repeated glancing back up at him in curiosity.

"It was the last thing your father told me. He said to remember 'under the bridge'. I wasn't able to ask him about it." A sharp pain snaked across his chest. He closed his eyes against the burn. "He was gone before I could."

"Are you going to cry, Mister?" Hitomi asked innocently from his arms. "Your face is really red. It's okay if you do. Mama always said tears are healing powers. I don't know if I believe that. My head always hurts after I cry really hard. That doesn't seem like healing to me."

The tears slipped out of his eyes unwillingly. He felt small arms wrap around his neck and hug him. He shifted so that he could hug her back. This small girl who lost just as much as he had. And he was taking comfort from her. He began walking again. His vision blurred by his tears.

"They looked so happy." He heard her whisper. A cold spot on his shirt confirmed she was crying as well.

"What do you mean?" he asked her throaty.

"In the fog. When they met up together, mama and daddy were really, really happy."

He hugged the girl tighter and she clung to his neck.

"… Thank you…for telling me that."

He walked while they both shed their grief together. He walked when they both quieted. He walked when they could barely breathe through their stuffy noses. It was almost an hour before either of them wanted to speak again.

It was Goau that finally broke the silence.

"You're right. Crying really does make your head hurt."

He heard Hitomi giggle weakly against him. "Told you."

"Can you walk? Not that your heavy, I just really need to wipe my face."

He felt her nod. Putting her on the ground, he stretched his aching arm muscles. His hand was cracked open with dried blood. It needed treatment.

"Where are we going?" Hitomi asked, gathering up the long material of his coat to walk properly beside him.

"I'm not going to lie. I have no idea." Fanel answered, rubbing his sleeve over his face. "I'm trying to get as far away from that building as possible. If I knew what 'under the bridge' meant, I'd have a better clue. There is some place we _can _go, but it's too far to walk to."

"And we don't have any money." The small girl said matter-of-factly.

He smiled despite the grave situation they were in. Maybe that's what crying was good for. Forcing someone to find humor after all the tears were gone.

"Daddy used to stand on the small bridge in Cherry Blossom Park." Hitomi said suddenly. She turned to look at his face. "He called it his thinking spot. He used to take me there to play when he was home. That could be a place to start, right?"

Goau was quiet for a moment.

"How far away is Cherry Blossom Park?" He asked after a minute.

"I don't know. I was always driven there. I don't even know where we are. I'm _five."_

The dark-headed man laughed at the hopelessness of it all. "I could use my phone to look up directions." He laughed harder. "But you blew it up!"

"I'm sorry…" the girl apologized, looking startled at his unexpected mirth.

"It's okay," he chuckled, calming a bit. "It's just so funny now. I don't know why."

Hitomi frowned in thought. "Maybe you're going crazy?" she suggested.

"That is very possible," he agreed.

* * *

It was several more hours before they finally heard the telltale sound of cars driving by.

"We've walked to the highway," Fanel pointed out as he stepped out of the trees. Daylight was in full bloom. Judging by the sun, it was probably around 8 or 9 in the morning. "Now to figure out what highway we made it to. I should be able to navigate from there."

"Maybe we can ask someone to drive us to Cherry Blossom Park?" Hitomi asked, crawling through a large bush. The white coat got snagged and Goau turned to help her get free.

"You mean, hitch a ride? Should we risk it?" He asked her and then immediately frowned. She _was_ five. Why was he asking her advice like she was an adult?

"Not everyone wants to kill us, Mr. Fanel. They could take us to the Park and they might have medicine and clothes for us."

"You sure you want to trust strangers?"

Hitomi looked up at him with green eyes wide. "You were a stranger to me and saved my life."

"I was also best friends with your dad."

"And maybe another stranger will be another best friend."

Goau didn't know how to respond to that. Shaking is head slowly, he watched the little girl clamber out of the bushes and slide in the ditch by the road.

"Be careful!" he called after her. He moved to follow. "Don't get too close to the road."

"OW!" he heard her shriek. At the same time, a street light down the highway burst, shattering glass and sparks everywhere. Goau felt a strange pressure emit from where the girl fell. He felt his hair stand up with static shock. "It's thorny here! Mr. Fanel, it hurts!"

He stopped in his tracks as he watched a car drive past. As soon as the vehicle pulled closer to them, it made a horrible screech.

"HITOMI!" Goau yelled, jumping immediately into the ditch. Scooping her small body into his arms, he ran with her. A horrible crash sounded behind him. It seemed to rumble even the earth itself. From the gust of wind that came after the crash, he knew that he had moved the girl just in time.

Hugging her to his body, the black-haired man stopped and fell to his knees in trembling relief.

"Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah," she answered. "Are you?"

"I'll let you know once I stop having a heart attack."

"What the hell happened!?" A roaring voice bellowed out. The sound of a door opening made Goau turn around immediately. "This stupid vehicle is a dog-gone loaner car! I swear that dealership wants to _kill_ its customers!"

Goau's mouth dropped. Eyes zipping from the little girl in his arms to the hollering man in front of him, he could only think of two words to say.

"Hi, Balgus."

* * *

The office was bright from the large bay windows behind the beech wood desk. It didn't help the dark look of the old man sitting in the leather chair facing them.

Crying Gray could practically hear the boy's sporadic heart beats from several feet away. The silver-haired kid was a complete mess. Gray felt anger stir within him. He didn't even try to clean up and make himself more presentable to Dornkirk! The burns from the lab's fire were still untreated. A long bloody cut ran down the side of his face. His black clothes, torn and ragged, were covered in blood and ash. He knew immediately that trying to keep Dilandau from being executed by the Corp. would be a daunting task.

The kid was a fool, but Gray _had _promised.

He just hoped he wasn't setting himself up for a world of trouble saving this kid. Sweeping his stoic mahogany eyes over the trembling figure beside him, he resisted the urge to sigh. _I really should stop keeping my word_. He thought.

"Dilandau, I've discussed your mistakes during Operation RED with the board. They also has viewed your video footage. The possibility of Fanel left alive, a Dragon Slayer confirmed dead, and no visual of the fossil. It has been unanimously voted that for the good of the company, you are sentenced to execution.

"It-It was just a mistake…" Dilandau whimpered. Gray prayed the boy wouldn't wet himself. "I-I was-"

"It was one mistake too many. And during Operation RED, no less." The old man hissed dangerously. Crying Gray sensed it was a good time to step in.

"Mr. Dornkirk," his low voice was polite but lacking any emotion. "I request Dilandau be placed into training again. Once he's out, I'll take him with me. If he even makes one hint at instability, I'll kill him myself."

"I already guessed Dilandau would use you as a shield, Gray. Why else would you be here and not in the field? It's unreasonable to put him in your care, especially since you have only been with us for such a short time. My answer is no."

Dilandau began to cry. Tears streamed down his cheek and ran into the cut on his cheek.

"He may be unstable now, sir, but Dilandau was one of your top commanders. He impressed the shareholders so much that they put the Dragon Slayers in his hands the moment he came out of training. Are you sure you want to get rid of such raw talent when it can be fixed again in only several short years?"

The old man was quiet. Gray really wished the kid would stop sniveling.

"You've made a good point, but I need you to answer one question for me: Why do you want him once he's out? What is your motive?"

"I don't have a motive, sir. I see the talent in him and I'm willing to use it to my advantage in hunting Fanel."

The old man cocked his head. "I never assigned you to that position."

_Damn_! Folken cursed. _I said too much_.

He swallowed, but the sound was loud in the quiet office. He knew Dornkirk saw him. Saw every bit of him.

"Is that the position you are wanting?"

_Better not to lie. It'd be unwise to say no_.

"Yes, sir."

"Why is that?"

"I took care of Fanel's family during the Operation. I burned their rent house down. You can confirm it through the television reports and my own written statement. Three bodies, a female and two males; a teenager and a child. I also have photos of their corpses. I've submitted all my documents to the committee already. They were approved."

"So, because you killed his family, you want to kill Goau Fanel as well?"

"I predicted that would be my next mission, sir. I apologize if I thought wrong."

"No, no, you were actually right." Dornkirk waved his hand, smiling slightly. "I'm just curious why you would want Dilandau as your partner. It will take years to make sure he will no longer break stability. That is if I convince the board to not continue with the execution. If you take out Fanel before he even get's done with training…"

"Then you gain a reformed killer and Fanel is dead anyway."

"I see… and who would _you_ suggest I send to search for the fossil?"

Gray had a sudden sense he was on dangerous ground. The man's smile hadn't left his face, but those words… _who would you suggest_… screamed rising danger.

"Send who you will, sir. I only want a partner for hunting Fanel."

The man's gray eyes shifted. _He's impressed_. Folken translated instantly. _He didn't expect that nonchalant answer. _

"Stop your crying, fool." The old man hissed at Dilandau. The boy dried his tears on his dark sleeve, but his blood-shot eyes kept producing more water. "You will be sent to training. If there is any hint of unstable behavior once you are out, Gray has permission to kill you. And Crying Gray," he added turning back to the tall young man. "Search for the fossil as well as Fanel. I expect monthly statements. I'll assign someone to back you up until Dilandau finishes his training."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Push, you fool!" the bigger man roared, straining his own muscles against the car. "Steer it more to the left, girl!"

"She and I can hear you just fine without the yelling." Fanel groaned, getting the fender bloody from his opening wound on his hand. He raised his eyes to watch Hitomi gently guiding the car's steering wheel left. They found her a stick to help press the petals down.

_She **is **pretty good at this_. He thought randomly. _I shouldn't have worried so much._

After going over the controls for ten minutes, she had forced Goau to leave her alone.

"You're repeating everything," she had said with a frown. "I can do it."

"Are you sure? Because you might have to press pretty hard on the brake to make it work. Are you strong enough to-"

"Go," she had shooed him away from the driver's seat.

Goau was surprised Balgus was okay with a five-year old driving his car. The old man made no grunt about it. Apparently, he was fine with anything as long as his car got out of the ditch.

"There we go! Keep going! A little more!" Balgus shouted loudly. The black-haired man couldn't help but flinch every time the old man opened his mouth. After being in the quiet forest for so long, the noise was almost unbearable.

After thirty sweaty minutes, the car was finally backed onto the side road. Hitomi gave a small cheer from the front seat and put the car in park. Balgus moved past Goau – who was panting heavily and holding his injured hand to his chest – and raised the hood of the car. Bending to check the car's insides, the bigger man let out a small whistle.

"I'll sue 'em."

"Sue them for what?" Fanel asked, stepping up to inspect the car as well.

"The battery… it…" the old man faltered. His small eyes widened in surprise. "Hell on earth, what the hell happened with this thing? It's completely melted! This is a bomb waiting to happen if we turn that car back on!"

Goau's eyes traveled to Hitomi, who still sat watching the two men from the driver's seat.

"How unusual…" He whispered, his eyes narrowing in thought. Slowly, he turned his head and looked at the broken street lamp. "Hitomi, come here please." He called.

She was there in less than a two second. Her face was shinning brightly at their recent success.

"We found a friend, didn't we?" she asked happily. "I _knew_ we would."

"How did you know? Wait, that's another question for another time." He said quickly as she opened her mouth to reply. "You hurt yourself before with the thorns. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

"Just creating a hypothesis," he answered vaguely. He glanced back over at the broken street light before swiveling his eyes to a cursing Balgus.

"Oh," she replied. "What's a hypotheesus?"

"A proposed explanation for a phenomenon before it has been scientifically test-"

"What the hell happened to this thing!? A certified pre-owned, my big behind! This damn battery would have killed me!"

Goau and Hitomi turned to see the old man dangerously ripping the battery out of the car. Throwing it on the pavement, the temperamental man made a move to stomp on it.

"No, no, no, no!" the black-haired man yelled, running to Balgus and grabbing onto his upraised leg. This caused Balgus to lose balance completely. They both fell together in an ungraceful heap to the concrete ground. The small girl winced at the impact.

"She can power the car!"

"Get off of me, you little-"

"She'll take care of it!"

"I don't believe-"

"It's fine, you don't have to believe me! But please don't stomp on an already unstable car battery and cause sulfuric acid to spray out of it! You'll hurt everyone here, including yourself!"

"What the hell are you-?"

"And please stop cursing in front of a little child."

"What do you mean she can power the vehicle? Are you insane?" The old man's face was one of pure rage. "Get off of me!"

Pushing the smaller man away, Balgus got to his feet. "Come here, girl." He growled.

Her green eyes narrowed. She walked closer to the big man. "Don't make me take back the 'friend' comment, sir." She said with a scowl. "You shouldn't talk to Mr. Fanel like that. And my name is not 'girl', it's Hitomi!"

Fanel picked himself off the ground and moved to the driver's side of the car. He studied the girl. She was getting irritated. This might be it.

"I'll call you whatever I want! Ever since I crash landed here, I've had to deal with an idiot ex brother-in-law and his bratty child!"

"I'm not bratty!"

"You are a brat!"

"Am not!"

Reaching in through the open window, Goau turned the key that was already in the ignition. The car fought him and blinked off. He bit his lip in concentration.

"Are too and that idiot will pay for all these damages if my lawsuit to that damn dealership doesn't go through!"

"I don't know what any of that means, but don't call him an idiot!"

Goau gave it another shot. He opened the door and slid into the driver's seat. Turning the key again, the engine struggled for a fraction of a second and then turned over. With a roar, Fanel pumped the gas to give it more juice.

And suddenly, it died again.

"Wha-wha-wha…" the older man stuttered. His eyes were as wide as the headlights. "What just happened? The car just started."

Hitomi had her head cocked in confusion. "What are you doing, Mr. Fanel?"

Stepping out of the car and leaning on the door frame, Goau grinned.

"Proving a hypothesis."

* * *

And here is Balgus. God, I love Balgus. I don't know what my problem is, but I always make him a crabby old man! I almost can't help myself. In probably every story I've written where Balgus shows up, he's so mean. But in a redeemable way. He's definitely up there on my most favorite Escaflowne characters and the funny thing is, he's hardly in the show at all! I feel like I can play with his personality because it isn't established very well.

Well, enough about Balgus. I love to hear predictions on what you think will happen. And if you just liked the chapter in general, you can tell me. Even if you didn't like it, I'll welcome the criticism with open arms. :)

Thanks again for reading! See ya next time!

blue...


	4. Hunted

Hey, everyone! First off I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed to this! It took longer than usual to get this one out because work has been making me actually work! Audible GASP! I had it ready and it just seriously needed editing (that always takes me FOREVER to finish).

Here's the next chapter. I decided through the editing process to cut this one shorter. This next one will be crazy exciting. This story is so much fun to write! I'm having a blast and I really look forward to work now!

Well, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

_The metallic smell of gasoline was enough to make the masked man choke. He resisted the urge. The woman was unconscious, as well as two young boys. Their still bodies lay side by side, tied and gagged. He had scouted them before Dornkirk had given the official Operation RED approval. He had them ready before he had even come to see his mother._

_Looking down at the sleeping woman, he felt nothing. Not a stir in his heart. Just as if they were a sack of useless flesh. Nothing more._

_Pouring the gasoline on the youngest boy made him jerk awake. His eyes blinking out the burning chemical, he gave a squeal of pain through his blocked mouth. Gray moved on to the next older boy and he mercifully still remained unconscious. The woman stirred slightly, but fell back into oblivion once the gas was done soaking in her clothes._

_Looking into the young boy's wide brown eyes, his mind remained impassive. Necessary evils might be evil, but someone had to do them. Crying Gray knew he was perfect for this job. A born killer._

_A born strategist._

_Saving his family had been one he'd planned from the beginning. Another necessary evil._

_If his father survived the attack, where else would he run to?_

_Reaching into his pocket for a box of matches, Gray's mahogany eyes glinted for a second. The boy's cries were more urgent. The terror in his face was prominent._

_Still, Gray felt nothing._

_The match dropped into the gasoline._

* * *

A small beep caused Gray's eyes to immediately open. Leaning down, he pressed several buttons on one of the small screens in front of him. It lighted the dark room with a tracer and recorder. His eyes shifted slightly as he glanced at the phone number on the screen.

He had received the call from his father, but was unable to trace it earlier. Then, earlier after he'd left his mother, she'd called and left a one word message to his father. Gray had no idea what "fireflies" could mean, but he was sure it was significant to him. That was probably how he'd find her.

If he made it that far, that is.

The screen identified the caller as Balgus. It was probably another complaint call to that car dealership he'd ranted to an hour earlier. The old man had almost filled up a quarter of the memory drive on his computer with verbal nonsense while Gray was defending Dilandau. Despite the irritation, the young man had listened to the entire conversation after he'd gotten back to his post. There was still no sign of his father. Balgus probably was the last person to hear about the burning rent house.

Was Balgus even worth listening to? Gray's finger hovered over the trace initiation button. It was only a two second pause. Then he pressed the button and the computer immediately went into action.

Might be a lead or he might be listening to another thirty minutes of shouting. Either way it never hurt to be ready.

He blinked at the name of the intended call... a taxi service?

The signal was weak, but the call was coming through. Reaching up a hand up to his earphones, he waited with patience for the phone to connect.

"Drive-A-Go Taxi, how may I help you?" A bored female voice answered the call.

"So this damn phone works. Good. I need a taxi for an idiot."

Gray's concentrated face hardly moved, but he couldn't help narrowing his eyes with thought. _For another person, Balgus? Not for yourself? _

"Um… your location, sir?"

In less than a second, Gray flicked his eyes to the tracer, to the call recorder, and then back again. This was almost too good to be true.

It had been a moment of impulse that he bugged Balgus' cell number long ago with the Merchant's first line of spy-wire. Could it be he found what he was searching for already?

The young man still body remained very deadpan, but his soul smiled with satisfaction. If this mysterious _idiot_ turned out to be his father...

_I'll kill him before Dilandau even arrives for his first day of training. _

"I'm on Route 96 stuck on the highway. Close to the turn-off at Arzaz Road."

_Only seven miles from the lab. Interesting..._

"And the destination?"

"Cherry Blossom Park, right?" Balgus called loudly off the phone. A low voice murmured an obvious confirmation because the old man immediately said, "Yep. Cherry Blossom Park."

Now Gray was confused. _Why go to a children's park, father? Why not run to mom and Van? What are you up to?_

"How many passengers?"

"An idiot and a brat."

_A brat?_

His heart rate increased by only five degrees, but for Gray that was a racing heartbeat. _He has a kid with him? What?_

Gray pressed his fingers on the headset, trying to listen for the male voice behind Balgus. He heard nothing but the sound of passing cars.

"Considering your location on the highway, are you in need any towing assistance? We have a special offer for-"

"I'll take a tow truck, but I don't want to hear any crap about offers, woman. I've had a really bad day and talking anymore with you will just make it worse."

Gray pressed even harder on his earphones as he heard a small voice muffled in the background. _So, there is a kid? This doesn't make sense. __Where did a kid come from?_

"I know that, you stupid child! Don't tell me what to do!" He heard Balgus roar back. "Keep that brat quiet while I'm on the phone, will ya? I don't need it to blow up right now!"

The child spoke again. A familiar lower voice answered it.

_Father is traveling with a child. That's for certain. But why? Who is this kid?_

"Uh… sir, so you need the truck?" asked the now timid taxi service representative.

"Yes, you silly woman!"

"Give us thirty minutes to get to you, sir."

The call ended abruptly. Gray leaned back on his seat, his mahogany eyes staring at the blinking dot on his screen. Route 96… to Cherry Blossom Park.

"What just happened?" he whispered to himself. Eyes zipping to the clock, he swiftly stood up and left the room.

* * *

The birds were chirping happily in the early morning. Cars of various sizes zoomed past the broken down vehicle on the side of the road, occasionally getting over to give them space. Three figures, two adults and one child, sat together on the side of a two lane highway close to muddy ditch with tire tracks in it. The wind that swept by them was both refreshing and chilly. Surrounded by tall trees and foliage of different kinds, the trio hardly noticed the lovely scene around them. Probably because one of the adults was roaring at the other one.

"How do you plan on explaining this one? The kid started the car, Goau! _Without a battery!_"

"I know, Balgus."

"Varie told me you never would tell her about your work! Little did she know you were doing human experimentations!"

"Don't take things out of proportion."

"Why doesn't this girl have a shirt? And why are you guys so dirty? And what the hell happened to your hand? What kind of experimentation were you up to, Goau?!" Balgus' listed accusations made his voice grow in volume. "Am I on some hidden prank show? Are people going to come out and give me money and fame for participating?"

"No," Fanel answered drained of energy. His brain felt like it was running on the sludge in the ditch beside him. His stomach was grumbling with hunger. The small pain of a caffeine headache was blooming slowly between his eyebrows. The dark-headed man knew he could use a long shower, a good meal, a tall glass of water and three days of sleep. Maybe after that, he'd be able to concentrate more on what was happening around him.

Maybe then he could figure out what had happened to Hitomi.

"I just discovered she could do this several hours ago. Even _then_ I wasn't sure. It's a long story why she doesn't have a shirt on. I can't tell you about what I was working on because it will put you in danger, too. I just want to get in the taxi and get some answers to my questions."

"You're an idiot. Always were one, always will be one." The old man grumbled. "Your 'keeping secrets for the good of everyone' is the reason Varie left, you know that right?"

"I'm well aware of that fact, yes." Goau confirmed in the same monotone voice.

"So, anytime the brat gets upset it's goodbye electronics." Balgus' small eyes suddenly got smaller. "She doesn't cause cancer, does she?"

"No, as far as I know she's as harmless to living creatures as a little girl should be. It's only electricity that seems to have a problem with her."

"That's good." Hitomi's voice mumbled beside him. Goau broke out of his exhausted self-pity at her unexpected response. She had her small head bent low. Drawing her legs close, she nuzzled her chin on her knees. The white coat was tucked around her making her look like a dirty snowball with a head.

Her body language said it all. She was upset.

Fanel felt a mixture of worry and shame wash over him.

"Come here, Hitomi," he commanded gently, reaching out to her pick her up. Quietly, she moved into his arms and he pulled her into his lap. Wrapping her small, cold hands around his neck, she buried her head into his chest. After tucking the white cloak back around her, he curled his long arms around her body and gently stroked her short hair with his uninjured hand. He didn't notice the old man watching.

He also didn't see Balgus' eyes flicker with understanding and resolve.

Balgus sighed, which turned more into a growl. "We are lucky _my_ phone lived to see another day. The taxi should be here soon. As well as my damn tow truck."

"I can't pay you for it. I'm sorry."

"Of course, you can't. You're pathetic."

"Thank you for giving me the money."

"Can't have you running around looking like you kidnapped a half-naked child. Besides, several years ago, you were family and I've always had a soft spot for family." The old man snorted and shook his head. His floppy gray hair danced on his forehead. "I haven't seen you for a decade and you manage to ruin my day, my car, and take my money in less than an hour."

There was silence between them.

"She's a cute kid," the old man suddenly mumbled. He wasn't looking at them, but far across the street. "And you're a good man to take care of her."

"She's my best friend's daughter. She's the only thing I have left of him. And I'm all she has. Never mind the fact she's a scientific phenomenon." Goau's dark eyes twinkled slightly as he looked down at the cuddling child in his arms.

"Damn scientists and your damn science…" Balgus grumbled. "Why the hell are you going to Cherry Blossom Park?"

"I need to figure out something her father told me. He said to remember 'under the bridge'. I asked her and she said his favorite thinking spot was on a bridge in that park. It's the only lead I've got."

"No wonder Varie left you. You're a lunatic. Testing on little girls…"

"We weren't testing on little girls, Balgus, please stop saying that. I kept Varie in the dark for her own good. The thing is – I don't think she was overlooked like I wanted."

Balgus' turned to frown angrily at the younger man. The face he made looked like a glare from Death himself.

"_What do you mean_?"

Goau tensed. Hitomi shifted in his arms at the unexpected change in his body. She lifted her head and glanced at him with tired green eyes.

"I – think she was attacked." He answered hesitantly.

That was by far the wrong thing to say.

"_WHAT?_" Balgus roared. He leaped to his feet. "What do you mean _attacked_? She's not dead, is she? Why would they attack her? Unless…" His small eyes grew smaller. "They were after her because she's associated with you! Is that what happened? Your little science experiment attracted killers and you escaped with psycho electric kid! Meanwhile, Varie and her sons are left for dead! Does this mean I'm dead too? Are there crazy ninjas in the bushes ready to shoot poison darts into my butt just because I gave you money and called a taxi?" He shot the shrubs behind him a nasty glare before rounding it back on Goau.

"From what I can figure, they only wanted my experiments. I don't think they know about Hitomi. As for Varie, I have a feeling she's okay." Goau replied quietly, not looking at the raging man beside him.

"Who gives a damn about your feelings? This is about my _baby sister and my life! _And this is your entire fault!"

"Who's Varie?" the girl asked quietly.

"My wife."

"His _ex_ wife." Balgus supplied with a growl.

Her green eyes widened and began to fill with tears. "She got hurt, too? Oh, no!"

"I'm not worried. She knows what she's doing." Goau stated calmly. "She left me a message on my phone. I know she's safe."

"I thought your phone got destroyed by little miss anti-electronics over here!" the old man shouted, gesturing a thick hand at Hitomi. She frowned slightly at the insult.

"This was right before it got destroyed."

Balgus sighed with his usual growl before plopping down on the ground beside Goau. "If anything happened to her or me, I'll kill you."

"Fair enough," the black-haired man agreed. "After I find Hitomi a safe place, you can kill me all you want."

"If you kill him, I'll make sure every eletroianic you have dies with him," the girl whispered to the huge old man. Goau looked at her in surprise. Her green eyes shinned brightly, almost feverishly. He felt the hair on his arms and neck stand up slightly. He narrowed his dark eyes in thought as another hypothesis slowly formed.

This was definitely not normal five-year-old behavior.

"It's _electronic_, brat." Balgus growled back. "Threaten all you want. You let even one spark fly and I'll call the government! They'll cart your tiny butt all the way to a rubber cell. Have fun escaping that!"

"Good luck trying to call them when your phone blows up!" she shot back. Electricity tingled in the air. Goau acknowledged this was a good time to stop the oncoming blowout… literarily.

"Hitomi, it's okay," Fanel reassured, stroking her head again with his healthy hand. Her hair stuck to his fingers with static shock. "It was just a joke, honey. He wouldn't kill me. It was just an empty threat."

"Ha, you keep thinking that, Goau." Balgus snorted. He turned his small eyes to the little girl. "Calm down, will ya. Learn to take sarcasm before you cause another accident."

"Promise you won't hurt him." She demanded her green eyes still bright.

The old man rolled his eyes. "I'm not taking orders from you. You're as high as my kneecap."

"Then promise it for your electronics' sake," Fanel asked, shooting Balgus a worried look.

Snorting loudly, the old man caught his nonverbal message and shook his head, "Fine. Whatever. I just hope this tow truck comes before the taxi. Nothing would please me more than to leave you two in the dust."

"Alright," Hitomi confirmed. "You've promised." The pressure slowly let up as she turned her green eyes onto Goau's face.

"Mr. Fanel, what does sarcasm mean?"

* * *

The seat was the most comfortable thing he'd ever sat in. Goau sighed with relief as he laid his head on the back of the headrest and felt the urge to drift into oblivion. He flexed his hurt hand and grimaced. There still wasn't much he could do about the cut. Unless…

"You wouldn't happen to have any baby wipes, would you?"

"Duh I look like ah babe ta ya?" the driver answered with a scowl.

"No," Goau answered with an irritated sigh. "But you probably act like one." He added under his breath.

The driver snorted importantly and continued down the obscure highway. Through his fatigue, Fanel slowly realized he _still_ didn't know the name of this highway. _Not that it matters anymore_, he thought with an odd sense of comfort. They were on their way to Tsukasa's favorite bridge and it wasn't even noon yet. Speaking of…

"Hitomi, honey? Can I ask you something?"

The little girl had stretched herself on the seat and laid her head on his thigh. She nodded without opening her eyes.

"How did you know that we'd find a friend on the highway?"

"I saw it in my head." She answered simply. "It came through some fog."

"Some fog… in your head?" Goau clarified quietly, still looking at the girl. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what to say, Mr. Fanel. I saw it while we were walking in the forest. It came with a fog. I'm going to go to sleep now, okay?"

Sighing deeply, Hitomi nuzzled her head on his thigh and - within seconds - was out.

"Talking to voices… seeing visions in fog…antimatter going into your chest … what are you, child?" the dark-haired man muttered to her. "You're the biggest puzzle I've ever encountered. I thought the Energist would be a lifetime of discovery. I think you just trumped it." Reaching over, Fanel searched the coat pocket for the fossil. Taking it out, but keeping it down so the driver couldn't see, he stared at it.

The color is off. It's not as bright as it was once was. The Energist gave a weak pulse.

_The radiation is still flowing, but the green residue is gone, as well as the antimatter from what I can tell. I'll have to study it further to see the exact extent of damage._ He tipped the Energist back into the pocket and settled on the seat with another sigh. _Hitomi will__ need to stay with Varie. If the fossil **is** what the killers were after, she will have to get away from me. I can't protect her if I'm being hunted. Varie will have to change her name. Van, too. Legal papers need to be forged. I hope she destroyed her phone. She'll have to avoid contact with other people for a while until we can figure out how to keep her true identity from being discovered. And Balgus. I hope he'll be okay. God, everything is so messed up… everything... _

"Oi," a gruff voice raced through his black oblivion. "Oi, we'r ait Cherry Blos'm Pak."

Goau slowly cracked his eyes open and lifted his neck off the back of the seat. He groaned at the slight pain that raced down his back.

"Say wha?" He answered, blinking to get his bearings.

The driver turned around to shoot him an annoyed look. Goau felt like gotten that look way too much in one day. "We'v erraved ait Cherry Blos'm Pak."

"Oh!" Sitting up, he felt Hitomi's head still on his thigh. "Sorry, I fell asleep. Honey, we are here."

Her green eyes were just as groggy as he felt. She sat up and blinked lazily at him. "I'm so tired. And hungry."

"I know. Me too." He agreed. He slipped the driver some of Balgus' money. The drive was more expensive than he expected. He had enough money for this, but food? Clothes? Medicine? Glancing at his damaged hand, the black-haired man winced. This was not good.

He glanced at the clock. 12:14pm.

This had to be the longest day of his life.

"Ya gotta git out. Me next call be comin' soon."

"Got it." Goau helped Hitomi open the door and followed her out.

The sun was blinding on his eyes. Squinting, he bent and picked Hitomi up from the ground. Behind him, the taxi screeched out of sight.

The park was covered in trees. Playground equipment of various sizes covered the area. Goau looked around and his heart sank.

No bridge.

"Go that way, Mr. Fanel," the five-year-old in his arms yawned. She pointed to the right at a manmade pathway through the trees. "There's another playground area. That's where I always go. The bridge is there."

Goau set on the path. Several minutes later, the trees spread out to show a small meadow only about fifteen yards wide. Fanel sighed and smiled at the little girl. She returned his grin, her eyes crinkling. It was so peaceful. Somewhere in the surrounding trees a mocking-bird sang numerous notes. The meadow only had a small swing set with a connecting slide. The set was rusty and old-looking, but it fit the serenity of the area. A small incline in the grass showed where a small pond used to be. Covering the incline as an old stone bridge that barely came up to Goau's waist. He could just imagine Tsukasa sitting with his long legs dangling from the edge; his bright eye-squinting grin plastered on his silly face. The burning hit the dark-haired man's eyes and throat again and he took a deep breath to calm his rising grief.

Slowly, he set the girl on her feet and she ran into the meadow with a giggle. The white coat billowed out behind her. "I love this place!" she announced loudly. "I used to make daddy daisy crowns from that patch over there. It's not growing daisies now. You'd look good with a crown."

"I'd love to have one someday," he answered her. "Under the bridge? I guess under this one?"

"Don't know. He'd sit on the bridge right here." She called running towards the stone archway. Goau swallowed the burning and followed her. It was in the middle of the meadow. The incline was filled with grass. It seemed like the dry spell had really had taken a toll on the pond. He imagined it would be full in the rainy season. That was good luck for them since they had business under this thing. The bridge was only a yard wide. There wasn't much room to maneuver.

Bending down, Goau examined the underside of the bridge. Being small enough, Hitomi easily crawled under the bridge.

"See anything?" Fanel asked her.

"Spiders!" she squealed. "I hate them!"

"Look around real good, Hitomi. Try to ignore the spiders if you can."

"Do I have to?" She whined anxiously. "They're really big and hairy and it's kinda slimy down here."

"Try to bear through it, honey. They won't hurt you if you don't mess with them. And come on, we are already filthy. What's a little more dirt going to hurt, eh?" He gave her an encouraging nod.

She shot him a grumbling look and moved to the opposite end to look at the various stones on the archway. The black-haired man searched the sides and top.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

_What did you mean by 'under the bridge', Tsukasa? _The man prayed, sitting on the bridge. He slumped his back in defeat, one leg dangling over the edge. He closed his tired eyes and shook his long dirty locks. _I don't understand what you want. I'm so lost. You wouldn't have told me if this wasn't important. So why have you led me here? Why?_

"Mr. Fanel!" he heard the small girl's voice from somewhere underneath him. "I found something on the stone! You need to see it!"

Blinking for three seconds in surprise, Goau jumped from his perch and bent to look under the bridge. She was on the right side rubbing the accumulated green slime off the very bottom. He peered in closer.

"Get over here!" she commanded excitedly.

"It's too small."

"If daddy was able to fit down here, you should have no problems! You crawled through a vent just fine earlier."

"That was also a life and death situation."

"Then this is a piece of cake."

Goau frowned at her. "You have mastered the art of manipulation at a startlingly early age, girl."

"Stop saying stuff I don't understand and come here!" she answered back without looking at him. Her small fingers cleared the dirt as the black-haired man groaned while slowly army crawling under the bridge. She was right. There were a lot of spiders.

"Do you see this?" she said excitedly as he came closer to her. "It's 'KT'! My daddy's initials! He carved it into the bridge."

"How does this help us though?" Goau asked.

"There's an arrow!"

"What? Where?" the black-haired man scooted closer. She moved to give him room. "Well, I'll be. There it is. 'KT' for Kanzaki Tsukasa, I'm sure. Where's the arrow?"

"It's pointing down right there, see? And the grass isn't growing here."

"You're right! The dirt has been disturbed. He probably _was_ here before. He said something about a bridge when he showed up at work this morning. Maybe this was where he was."

The girl shrugged. "I've never seen him bury anything, but I think we should dig there. Besides, we are already dirty. What's it going to hurt?" She smiled cheekily at him. Goau couldn't help but laugh.

Using both hands – damaged or not – they scooped out the dirt underneath the pointed arrow. It was easier work than originally fathomed. The soil was soft from it's earlier disturbance. Within minutes and about a half yard down, the black-haired man's hands felt a hard surface.

A box?

"Hitomi, sit back for a sec. There's something down here."

She moved away immediately and Goau took up the rest of the space. Digging ferociously, he hardly felt the sharp pain in his hand. He freed the corners of what looked like a leather briefcase. Tunneling to the very edge, he grunted as he lifted the heavy case out of the dirt. His dark head hit the stone archway and he groaned in pain.

"What is that?" Hitomi gasped. Her green eyes wide with surprise.

"I'm not sure. Let's get out from under this bridge and look."

Crawling out and dragging the leather case with him, he sighed with relief and collapsed on the soft grass face first. There was something here. He felt a strange satisfaction hum in his empty belly. He figured it out. There was reason behind the madness.

"What's in it?" the green-eyed girl had made her way to the brief case and was twitching excitedly besides him.

Sitting up, he pulled the case closer. It was a dark brown leather that had a snake-skin print. It didn't look very old through the dirt and muck. The case was only a few inches thick and maybe a foot and a half wide. There wasn't a lock. Not even a combination. Just simple latches.

He clicked it open and lifted the lid.

Inside was more money than he'd ever seen in his life.

"Live in the constant impulsive dream, Tsukasa?" Goau muttered to himself in disbelief. "Looks like you were planning for something…"

Just as Fanel moved down to inspect some of the money, he heard a small 'ping' hit right above his head. Glancing wildly, he noticed the stone breaking slightly at a newly acquired hole. He reached up a hand to feel the hole in confusion. Another crack later and an identical hole appeared right next to his hand.

And then it hit him.

A bullet hole.

Oh, God.

He bent down again just as another whistling 'ping' hit the bridge. He closed the case and let his survival instincts take over. Grabbing Hitomi with his free hand, she squealed as he lifted her over his shoulder. He pushed up and took off sprinting as fast as he could into the trees. The sound of whistling bullets was like a dissonant symphony against his raging heart. The killers were back.

They had found him.

* * *

**AH! I love it! This was so much fun!**

I'm already editing the next chapter! I cannot wait to get it done! Eek! I love this story!

Well, I hope you liked it regardless of the short length (well, short for me at least) and the lack of romance. It will come. Just bear with me.

If you liked it, hated it, or want to throw fruit at me, you can let me know. :) The fruit will be used to make a delectable fruit salad.

Have a good one and see ya next time!

blue...


	5. Safety with the Fireflies

Whew, this chapter took longer than expected. Sorry about the hold up. I had it ready on Friday and then decided to change a few things. It was really fun to write. I had a longer time editing this one considering the action scenes in it. I knew already when I had written it out before that there were scenes that were definitely going to take some time. Editing is always my longest process. :)

I just booked my hotel for A-Kon in Dallas this year! I'm wicked early for it, but I don't flipping care! Forget you, place of employment! I'm going to nerd out with my friends in June!

-Ahem, just wanted to share my excitement...

I've cooked up the next few chapter for AoRF, but I've set that aside for the time being - again. I really want to get this done before I go back to that monster of a story. Just to let you know. Things are progressing in it. Just give me time. And this story seems like it will be done pretty quickly with the way I'm updating.

Enough of my nerdy rambling.

Read!

* * *

Goau was never one for sports. He wasn't a fast runner, a hard hitter, and had never in his life made a three-point shot with a basketball – not that he hadn't tried. The black-haired man would have traded all of his intellect at this one moment for such physical talents.

Of course, he'd never run for his life twice in one day until today.

Life sure did love its nasty ironic surprises.

As he passed through the dense trees at the fastest pace he'd ever pushed himself to go, the black-haired man knew there was no way he could be controlling his weak body anymore. Another invisible being was helping to push him; driving him to keep going. He had a higher purpose to survive.

For Varie. For his sons. For Hitomi.

The heat of midday was unbearable. Every burn he had acquired from that morning scorched like flames. Every bruise throbbed with his racing pulse. His injured hand, which helped to hold Hitomi on his shoulder, created long bloody marks on the once white coat. The brief case, gripped securely by his other hand, was even more dead weight on his weak muscles.

But he had to go on.

He had to see Varie. He wanted to hug and kiss his sons. Even if Van quietly pushed away from him. Even if Folken was angry at him for never being there.

Goau wanted to hold them both and never let go. He wanted to beg for mercy for tearing his family apart. He may never be forgiven, but at least he could try.

He'd hurt his family too much. Ignored too many problems.

_Help me, Tsukasa,_ he pleaded to his friend as he ducked under a tree branch. His knees wobbled and almost buckled with the unexpected pressure on his exhausted muscles. _If you can send a message to anyone up there, tell them now would be a good time to intervene. _

Another bullet whistled past his head on the left and slammed into a tree. He flinched and instinctively moved away from the shards of bark. More to the right.

Unknowingly closer to the main playground.

Goau realized his mistake as soon as he stepped out of the trees.

The park was full of playing children. Innocent children.

Cursing with what breath he could catch, he stood for a few heartbeats, zipping his panicky eyes left and right. Civilians were at stake now. He had to get the killers away from them. But to his left was a busy street. What should he do?

Crossing it was a horrible gamble and probably one of the worst ideas he'd had in the last few hours, but if he could shake the killers through traffic... He looked briefly at the different fast food chains that lined the street on the other side. He could easily hide there after crossing. Another bullet pierced the wind and swept extremely close to his body. He stopped thinking and acted.

Pumping more strength into his trembling legs, Goau leaped out into the oncoming cars.

He felt the little girl tense on his shoulder and give a squeal as he dodged a honking car. Goau kept moving. His mind was racing with his adrenaline. Waiting for only a second before darting past another lane, he shouted, "Hitomi, do you see who's chasing us? Look behind me!"

"I can't tell," she called back after a few seconds. He felt her small hands grip his shirt as she raised herself off his back to look. "There are people everywhere in the playground!"

Goau gasped and Hitomi screamed as a huge pick-up truck hurled towards them. Instantly, he felt a fierce electrical shock run from his shoulder. The petrifying energy raced through his entire body.

Every organ pulsed with it.

Every hair on his body stood on end.

The truck gave a terrifyingly loud shriek.

His heart pounded in horror. He knew that sound. Balgus' car had made the same noise.

But the old man had stopped the car before the battery…

"It's gonna explode!" The black-haired man shouted and dodged the speeding truck just in time. He held Hitomi tighter and ran for his life passed another lane.

The explosion from the truck's heavily overcharged battery was immense. Goau felt the heat searing his back and legs. He stumbled slightly, but was able to stay on his feet. The five-year-old on his shoulder screamed again as more cars pelted towards them. The electrical wave washed through him once more and the cars around him began making the same horrible, ear-splitting sounds.

He was past five lanes. Only three more to go.

"Hitomi, calm down!" Goau called desperately through the roar. Behind him, another explosion burst in the street, raining fire and metal. He staggered and almost fell; stopping short from running head first into another shrieking car. His ears rang. His heart hammered. Racing around the vehicle on shaking legs, the man took only several more steps before the car behind him blasted apart. The intensity of the eruption scorched his back with heat and flung him the rest of the way off the road. Letting go of the briefcase, Goau grabbed Hitomi with both hands and held her to his chest as he soared in the air.

His burnt back landed on the concrete sidewalk with a resounding thud. Head hitting the sharp ground, Fanel saw stars winking at him. His body immediately went into restart mode.

Breathing: check

Seeing: a bit fuzzy, but check

Smelling: the horrible smell of burnt metal and hair, I guess that's a check

Tasting: ashy…gross. Check

Feeling: I wish the concrete was a taxi seat. Check

Hearing:…. Oh, crap.

Blinking the darkness out of his eyes, the face of a small girl swam into his vision. He squinted at the bright fire behind her. She was saying something, but he couldn't make it out. She grabbed his shoulders and tried to get him to sit up. Goau groaned as nausea hit his stomach. The pain in his back was practically unbearable.

The sound of the raging fire was only an inaudible rumble. He heard the little voice of the girl, but her words were completely undecipherable. Placing his bleeding hand on his head, he tried to stop the shaking world. The girl – Hitomi, his brain supplied – ran from him and grabbed the handle of a briefcase…

The briefcase he'd just dug up. Wait… Tsukasa's briefcase full of money!

Blinking to clear the clouds in his brain, Goau struggled to his feet. He fell halfway on his knees. Suddenly, he felt the small hands of the little girl on his back and he howled with pain. She moved to grab his arm instead to help him stand. Another rocking explosion resounded from the now blazing streets and he felt the amazing heat from it wash over him again. With a cry of pain, the dark-haired man's face was racing with uncontrolled tears. Coupled with the urging tugs of Hitomi, he began crawling on his hands and knees as fast as he could. His vision was completely blocked with the fogginess of his head and his tears. He put all of his trust the little hand that pulled him along. It felt like hours, but it was probably only ten minutes or so. Suddenly, the guiding hand pushed gently on his shoulders and he leaned the side of his head against a rough brick wall. He closed his eyes against the powerful ringing in his ears, the throbs of agony in his back, and the waves of violent nausea that kept spinning his vision.

"What happened?" he asked gruffly. He felt a small hand wipe the tears from his face. He heard a stifled reply from the little girl, but nothing more.

"What?" He swallowed down the ashy taste of fire and opened his eyes to try focusing on her small face. "I can't hear you."

He through his foggy vision he saw her shake her head at him and put the briefcase she had carried right beside him. He unthinkingly laid it on its side and clicked it open. The money was a bit disturbed, but it had survived. Shutting the case closed with a soundless thump, Goau put it beside him. Leaning to the left, his nausea hit him like a tidal wave and he dry heaved on the trash covered concrete.

It was almost an hour before he was able to stop gagging. By then, the ringing had subsided only slightly. He was able to better understand what Hitomi was trying to say, which was a plus. From what he could gather – judging from the pounding ring that continued to resonate shrilly in his head - he'd probably have hearing problems for the rest of his life.

"Are you okay, Hitomi? Are you hurt?" he asked weakly holding his empty stomach. He focused his gaze on her face and read her lips as best he could. He was startled to see tears running down her cheeks.

"I hurt my elbow on the ground. My skin hurts from the fire. My head is ringing a little."

"That's not too bad for what we just went through." He said gently. Even his own voice was muffled to his ears. "Let me see your elbow."

She closed the gap between them and he lifted his good hand to inspect the elbow. He patted her small arm sympathetically.

"Doesn't it hurt?" she asked, her bottom lip still trembling.

"What hurt?"

"You've got a lot of blood on your face and your hair is burnt. Your shirt is ripped on your back. Your skin looks so red. You were throwing up. It sounded gross. Are you going to be okay, Mr. Fanel?" Her worried words were a muffled jumble, but he could make out most of what she said. The green-eyed girl lifted her small hand and brushed it against his cheeks again. "You were crying. I was so scared."

"I still can't hear very well, but don't you worry yourself about me, Hitomi." Goau answered faintly. "I'll pull through. You just make sure you're okay. Do you still have the Energist?"

"This thing?" she pulled the fossil out of the coat's pocket.

"Make sure it's safe, okay? Promise me you'll take care of it."

She nodded her head, but the worry hadn't left. He needed to distract her. He glanced around them.

"Where are we? Are we in an alleyway?"

"We are in between two buildings. That's a dumpster right next to us. It smells really bad." She answered, crinkling her nose through her tears.

"Thank God there doesn't seem to be any electronics in it." Goau muttered so the girl couldn't hear. Turning to Hitomi he smiled, "Good, girl. That was quick thinking. I owe you one."

"There were a lot of loud noises for a while. I checked outside and there's a bunch of flashing lights. What happened? Why did they blow up like that? Was that because of me?"

Goau was at a loss for words. He couldn't possibly tell her that this was her fault, could he? She was _five_. Mostly it was his fault for running into the street like a lunatic to begin with. He was in such a panic from the killers that he didn't realize the danger he placed her in. He'd almost killed them both. Ultimately, he probably resulted in the death of plenty other innocent people in his place. From the way everything blew apart around them, they were lucky to be in one piece now and not sprawled on the highway in tiny bits. She didn't need that kind of burden on her young shoulders. Especially now.

A thumping throb of pain shot from his forehead to the back of his neck. He decided to worry about it later.

"I don't know," he evaded and shifted to his knees on the dirty ground. Using the wall and the dumpster to brace himself, he stood on violently trembling legs. His back roared with fire, and he gritted his teeth to ignore the scarp pain.

The little girl grabbed the briefcase once again and handed it to him. As he took it, he reached out with his bloody hand and tried to wipe the tears off her face.

"At least something good came out of all this."

"Good?" she asked, letting him rub her cheeks dry. She gave a sniffle.

"We can easily get to safety with this." He said trying to sound encouraging with the optimism he didn't feel. The black-haired man held up the briefcase.

"I need a Band-Aid," she answered.

Glancing down at himself, Goau grimaced at his blood-stained, torn, burnt clothes.

"I think I need one, too."

* * *

Crying Gray stood at the edge of the street, his eyes squinting against the bright flames in front of him. The raging fire's heat pounded on the stoic features of his face. Tucking his assault pistol in the holder behind his back, he backed away as civilians from the park tried to help those stuck in flaming vehicles.

_This isn't possible…this entire thing is ridiculous. He escaped me… by exploding vehicles. _The thought swiveled in his mind. He narrowed his eyes with his quiet rage. _Just how did you do that, father?_

He couldn't explain it. He couldn't answer any of his questions. He wasn't in control of this situation anymore. What just happened was something that was beyond anyone's understanding. _Maybe the fossil…?_ His brain supplied. He tucked that thought away as the number one possibility. _Does the fossil really have that kind of power? Dornkirk said it was the bringer of destruction. Is this a display of the destruction it can do?_

His mahogany eyes swept the burning streets. The multiple cries and screams penetrated his usual stoic features. His heart beat sped up a little as another explosion shook the ground he was standing on. He heard the agony of those trapped in the flaming cars. The rage and heat of the fire ignited his anger.

_And still father runs. Scampering like the coward he is_. _He will pay. _

Gray breathed deeply to calm his rising fury. His brain immediately switched to another other issue at hand.

_Who is this little girl?_ _Why would he have her in the first place? Where did she come from? _

Intuition rang in his head like bells. _He had her when he met with Balgus. She must have come from the lab. If that's the case…_

Turning away from the horrific, blazing scene in front of him, he began walking back with his new ideas quickly forming in his mind.

_Father will likely go to mother now. As for the little girl, I'll have to figure out her situation in all of this. She's important to him. Seems like its high time I watch Dilandau's Operation RED video._

* * *

The bus wasn't as comfortable as the taxi seats, but Goau was not one to complain. Shoving their two suitcases into the small holder above his head, he unthinkingly stretched his newly bandaged hand before gently easing himself on the aisle seat next to the little girl. His burnt back felt like his skin was crackling against the ointment he'd splattered on it. The pounding in his head had subsided somewhat, but he still had a strange cloud on the left side of his vision. His 'new' clothes itched in strange places. He just chalked it up to not being able to wash properly. A thrift store bathroom wasn't the most private of places after all.

Still, it was a relief to be safe and somewhat clean. After sneaking out of the alleyway and discovering he could walk without the help of the wall, the black-haired man hobbled several yards to a pharmacy store. From the looks of the other shoppers and employees, he knew immediately he and Hitomi must look like they escaped from some asylum. He strolled in with what he hoped was a confident expression –as if being bloody, filthy, and burnt was the most normal thing in the world. Grabbing a shopping cart, he'd plopped the case of money and Hitomi in the basket and grabbed several small bottles of soap, shampoo, heaps of burn ointments, medicine, bandages, solar power flashlights, four large water bottles, and boxes of easily opened, pre-made food.

At the odd stare from the clerk during checkout, Goau smiled uneasily and lifted the briefcase out of the basket. Opening it, he placed three crisp one-hundred bills on the counter.

"I'm buying the shopping cart as well. Keep the change," he said awkwardly, shutting the case. As the clerk's disbelieving gaze traveled down to the equally filthy little girl riding in the cart with his items, the black-haired man nodded his head in farewell. Rolling the cart and non-scanned items to the exit, the alarm at the sliding doors went off with a piercing sound.

He ran for it.

With cars backed up from the wreckage, they easily weaved through the bumper to bumper traffic to a spotted thrift store. Inside, he'd pushed the cart to a tattered dressing room and slid to the floor to relieve his growing panic. He had another nauseated gagging attack that lasted for a few minutes. Hitomi kept watch through the curtain.

After an hour, Goau realized all the police were probably with the traffic jam he'd created earlier. For the first time that day, he allowed himself to feel something he'd scarce hoped to feel again: safe.

Shopping at the second-hand store was easier than the pharmacy. People avoided his dirty face and blood stained clothes and hardly blinked at the shopping cart he wheeled around. Goau didn't know if it was because he blended so well with the people around him or they really weren't that observant. He picked out several pairs of clothes for the two if them and two large suitcases for their supplies. He paid for his items with the case.

_Thank God for Tsukasa, _he had thought with relief as he handed yet another one-hundred bill.

And he thanked God for the thrift store bathroom. That was where he spent the most glorious hour of his life: washing, bandaging, eating and changing.

He wasn't able to escape the weirded-out looks that were shot his way from men using the toilet.

But none of that mattered once he saw happy expression on the little girl's face. He helped her wash her hair and she actually sighed with relief and comfort. Covering her small cuts with Band-Aids and rubbing in the relieving ointment, she dried herself with rough paper towels from the sink.

After she was done, he let her dig in to some of the food he'd bought while he washed. The back of his head had a bad knot from where he'd hit the concrete from the explosion. He touched the raised spot tenderly. Washing his body was difficult with his bad hand, but he managed. His injured palm was a raw bloody mess. He disinfected the deep cut as best he could and wrapped it gently with long bandages. He flexed his fingers worriedly. They still worked so hopefully not very many tendons were damaged. Taking off his shirt, he got Hitomi to cover his burns with the ointment while he drank the most delicious water he'd ever tasted.

Changing in the bathroom stall, he'd munched on some bread and drained another entire water bottle filled from the sink.

By the end of their cleaning session, she had a comfortable thrift store sundress with bunnies on the front and Goau was the happy owner of tan shorts and his first Hawaiian t-shirt. Packing the case full of money, the Energist, and the rest of their supplies into the two fat suitcases, they walked out of the thrift store.

They'd left their dirty clothes for the store attendant to find.

Goau glanced at the small girl as she watched the passing stores and cars through the dirty window of the bus. He sighed quietly and joined her stares. Without looking at each other, they reached out and clasped hands; his large fingers cradling her small palm.

"Mr. Fanel?" He read her lips more than heard her. "Where are we going?"

"I've got to get you to safety. The only place I can think of is where my wife hopefully is."

"How far is that?"

Goau was silent for a moment. "It'll take a couple of hours to get there by bus. Then it's a bit of a hike."

"I can climb." She announced bravely.

He nudged her small shoulder good-naturedly and let a tired smile fall on his lips. "Good, you can carry me then."

She blinked. Slowly her face changed into the familiar eye-crinkling grin.

* * *

The lake was reflecting the afternoon sun. It practically made the entire area a vibrant shade of gold. Somewhere in the lake a fish jumped out and danced in the glittering light. Several light chirps from various birds could be heard all around the area. The surrounded trees danced with a cold, sweeping breeze that caused shivers to run up and down Varie's arms. She never remembered it being this cold back in the day. That's probably because she hadn't been so alone.

Sitting with her back resting on a familiar large oak, she breathed deeply and tilted her head back to catch the streaming light through the green leaves.

It had been here. Right here where she'd first met that stupid man. Her life had been a roller coaster ever since that fateful day.

_I try to get away from him and he STILL makes me an emotional wreck._ She thought with a sigh. _If I see him, I'll slap him!_

She visibly winced at using the word _if_. She didn't want it to be _if she saw him_. It should be _when _she saw him. He was Goau, genius extraordinaire. He could pull through anything, right?

She'd see him again. She had to.

It'd been two days since she'd arrived at Jajuka's Camping and Motor Houses. Driving the hill to the secluded log cabin with Van in the back seat, her mind wandered with nostalgia. The camp had been her safe-haven during her parent's divorce. Though Jajuka owned the land, he kept the small cabin for Varie's family's personal use. He was always such a nice man.

Owned a lot of dogs, but still really nice.

Varie had pulled into the front of the cabin. Van followed her out of the car and up the front steps to the porch.

"Why are we here, mom?" he had asked, his mahogany eyes dancing all around the building.

"Because this is a place that is both safe and hidden." She explained vaguely. "This is also were Goau might find us."

Van's youthful face lit up slightly. "Dad's coming?"

"We will have to wait and see." Varie said the words smoothly, but inside her stomach churned with worry. "I'm going to the lake. Try to see what supplies we have. The food we brought should last us for a while, and there is plenty of game here. It's about time you learned to hunt." She said seriously.

"I'm going to hunt?" the boy's beautiful mahogany eyes brightened even more at the thought.

"If you're the man of the house, then I think it's a given."

Van had done an excellent job of being the 'man of the house'. After she showed him how to properly use an axe, he took over chopping the wood for their ancient stove. He even began taking care of washing their clothes in the basin and using the rusted hammer to fix fallen boards. He's started to clear a small garden with the broken handled shovel and replant blackberries he'd found a little ways in the forest.

_He'd such a good kid,_ she thought her heart giving a painful twist._ You'd be proud of him, Goau._

A small bright light floated near her face and she lifted her head to look back at the lake. Dusk was fast approaching. Pushing herself to stand, she sighed at the growing beauty. More and more fireflies filled the lake as the minutes passed by.

Here was where she first met Goau.

And here was where she was hoping to see him again.

* * *

"How much further, Mr. Fanel?" Hitomi groaned climbing the steep upward slope. "It's getting dark and I can't see very good."

"We are nearly there," Goau panted heaving the suitcases up the path. His head was swimming with exhaustion. He was positive he had a rising fever. His back burned more than ever. The ringing was thankfully softer than before, but it still spiked from time to time with his swirling vision. Swallowing his grunts of pain, he tried to keep his mind clear of the black cloud that slowly covered the right corner of his eye.

"You said that a long time ago!" she complained. "I need to sit down."

"We really are almost there, I promise. Just keep going."

She pouted, but kept climbing.

Night fell further when they finally reached the top of the hill. Goau breathed in relief, but forced himself to keep going. He couldn't afford to stop. If he stopped now, he wouldn't get back up. He heard Hitomi give a frustrated sigh behind him and her small feet quickly ran to catch up to him.

"I thought you said we could rest!"

"We need to keep going, Hitomi," he answered almost monotone. He blinked to clear the closing blackness. The dark had moved to the bottom part of his sight as well. _Just keep going_, Goau concentrated. _I've got to make it to Varie._

"There are just trees here. How are we going to find the fireflies?" she panted to him.

"They are on a lake through these trees." _Just keep going._

"How do you know that?"

"I used to hike in these woods long ago."

"For fun?" she looked at him incredulously.

"Not for fun. I was an assistant in a science lab for about a year when I was a young man. The lab used to be on the outskirts of this camp. They'd send me to get biological samples of the water. It wasn't my field of study, but I got paid well and I learned a lot about fireflies. This was before I met your father."

"So, the fireflies live at the lake?"

"You'll see." The black-haired man shot her a weak smile. His body trembled slightly from the weight of the cases and his pulsing fever. It was colder than he expected outside. He shivered with the chill. "It should be just through the trees. You'll like it. It's beautiful at night."

The black crept over his eyes. There was only a small speck of light left.

"Mr. Fanel? Are you okay?" the short-haired girl asked worriedly. Goau knew his steps were staggering. _Don't fall!_

"I'm… fine… don't worry about-"

The ground rushed to meet him as he knew he'd lost his battle with oblivion.

* * *

Varie blinked at the unexpected sound.

_What was that?_ She thought in alarm. _A scream?_

"Van?" she called out, anxiety and fear mixing in her stomach. "Van, are you out there?"

"Help! Someone help him!"

The voice was too high to be Van's. The long-haired woman knew that could only mean-

"Goau!" she cried, taking off from her spot under the oak tree. "Goau, are you there?"

"Help us!" the voice shouted again.

Brushing past the trees and foliage, she gasped as she almost ran into a small figure.

_A little girl_?

The tiny girl grabbed her arm with surprising strength. Varie looked the child over with shock. She had peeling Band-Aids all over her arms, legs, and face. Her small sundress was dirty from the obvious hike up the mountains. Her bright green-eyes sparkled brightly and the long-haired woman felt a strange static shock wash through her from where she gripped her.

"He's this way! He needs help!"

"Lead me to him!" she commanded the girl.

Following through the tall trees, Varie's mind spun with curiosity, fear, and relief.

_He's come! He's come! He's alive! _Her brain soared with the relief.

_But who's this little girl? His love-child?_ The curiosity murmured.

_Why did she say he needed help?_ The fear whispered, and she felt shivers run down her spine.

It was only a few more yards till she saw the man in who had caused all her troubles. She felt her breath catch at the look of him. His entire body laid sprawled on the dirty ground. He was dressed in a horrible Hawaiian t-shirt and- she gazed down at his exposed legs and gasped. He had at least second degree burns on the back of his legs! Kneeling down, she immediately reached to brush the messy black hair off of his still face.

"Oh, my God, "she breathed. "Goau, what happened to you?"

"We were climbing… and he fell… I don't know what to do…" the little girl answered through forming tears. "Please, help him!"

"I'll do my best, but first, we've got to get him back to the cabin." She roughly pulled on his shoulders and the man gave a cry of pain.

"He burned his back! He's really hurt!" the girl announced.

"What in the world has he been doing?"

"That's a long story, Varie," she heard his weak voice come out with a groan. She gasped.

"Goau, you're awake!"

"Barely," he answered with the same strained voice. "I think I'm about to…" the man trailed off. Varie watched as he passed out once more. Feeling his forehead, she grimaced at his high fever.

"You are going to tell me everything later or I swear I'll feed to you Jajuka's dogs, you idiot!" She shouted at his silent face. Turning him with more gentle hands, the little girl helped brace his weight on her back. She grunted as she pushed up from the ground. "You're too thin. What kind of man can ride piggy back on his own wife?"

"What do I do about these?" The little girl piped up, trying to pick up the heavy suitcases. Her small arms trembled with the weight.

"Don't worry about those right now. Van can help get them when we arrive at the cabin."

* * *

The wood split with a satisfying crunch at his newly sharpened axe. He'd found the grinding stone in the back of the shed as well as several other treasures. Thinking about the small wooden boat he'd dragged out that morning, Van felt a glimmer of pride in his heart. He'd be able to fish with the old poles and boat. He'd have to dig in his garden tomorrow for worms to bait the hook, but once that was covered, they'd have fresh fish for a while.

He knew why his mom stayed out all day at the lake today. He knew why she would go back again tomorrow, and probably the day after. According to her, his father was coming. Van swallowed and set up another block to chop.

The youngest boy had only been four when he last saw his father's face. Thinking back on the man who was supposed to be his closest kin, Van couldn't produce memories of what he looked like. Folken never spoke about dad and got angry anytime Van asked. Folken had been thirteen then. Van was sure he remembered, but wanted to keep it all to himself.

When Van would ask his mom, her eyes would always tense with some unknown emotion and she would change the subject. The black-haired boy had quickly learned that asking about father was a trigger to his mom's slight depression. So he kept his curiosity to himself. But that didn't keep him from wondering.

Van knew he was a scientist, but the only scientists he knew were from television. They always had glasses, pocket protectors, and talked with nasally voices.

He didn't really want a nerd for a dad.

In his mind, his father was a strong, tall man with arm muscles and fierce fighting skills. He was smart like a scientist, but never used his mind for evil. He was the hero that figured out the problems and used his skills to protect the world.

He was a hero. And through him, Van would be a hero, too.

Shaking his head to clear his dream, the young boy raised the axe and swung down again. The head of the blade pushed into the squeaking wood. It was a silly dream. Van knew he was stupid for this fantasy.

No man who could leave his family is a hero.

A crunch on the ground outside the clearing caused him to glance up startled.

"Mom?" he called out. "Mom, are you back?"

"Van!" his mother's strained voice answered him. "Come! Your father needs help!"

"Dad is…?" he whispered, feeling his heart beat nervously. _Was it really him?_ Dropping the axe in the grass, he ran to the trees just as his mother stepped out. A man with thick black hair was collapsed on her shoulders. With a pang of disappointment, Van's eyes glanced over the man's limp arms and dangling legs.

_What hero would be carried by a woman?_

"Open the door, Van. He needs to get inside."

"What happened?" the black-haired boy asked curiously, racing back to open the cabin's screen door.

Turning back to make sure the door was wide enough, his eyes fell on the small figure following his mother.

* * *

**I didn't want to leave it** **here! **I'm so sorry!

I had to though! I couldn't keep the scene properly going and not write another ten pages. I'm trying to keep these chapters moderately long. I feel as though I'm doing a pretty good job. If you see any mistakes in the chapter, please PM me and I'll fix them. I don't have a Beta reader and it's been irritating trying to catch all my mistakes.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The story has finally progressed to the part I've been wanting to write! Be excited for the next chapter! It'll be good!

Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed it, you can tell me. Reviews only make me write even faster (even though I'm already writing like a beast. Four updates in two weeks? Sheesh!)

Have a good weekend and I'll see ya next time! :)

blue...


	6. The Beginnings of a Knight

Wheeeeew! This chapter was so fun! I kept getting interrupted at work, but I am finally happy with the editing! If you see any mistakes at all, please let me know. I don't have a Beta Reader on this and I'm trying to catch my mistakes (which are quite a bit sometimes).

I think this chapter will probably be one of my favorites. It's a lot calmer than my other beginning chapters have been.

Enjoy and see you after! :)

* * *

Van stomped through the chilled night air. His flashlight shinning on the leaf covered ground illuminated the obscure path through the forest. The dark towering trees usually made him nervous when he walked around in the forest at night. Their engulfing presence had a scary solitude to them like he was the only person left in the world. Most of the time, the black-haired boy hated the lonely feeling and wished for someone to walk with him through these shadowy giants.

Tonight – however - he would have welcomed the seclusion.

"…Then we went to a store to get the suitcases and clothes. That was how I got these Band-Aids put on." The little brown-haired girl held out her arm to show him strawberry printed bandages. "Once we cleaned up in the bathroom, I felt so much better. I rode on a dirty bus with Mr. Fanel. I didn't mind that it was dirty because I didn't want to walk the entire way here. Then we had to hike up here. That is tiring. Did you have to climb the mountain, too? I've never been camping before. Are you Mr. Fanel's son? You look a lot like him. What's your name?"

"Van," he answered in monotone.

"I'm Hitomi! I'm so happy to meet you. When I heard that Mr. Fanel's family might have been hurt as well I was so worried. I bet he is really relieved to see you are safe."

_She's been talking non-stop. _Van thought with rising irritation. _Why did she have to come, too?_

As soon as his father was safely placed in his mother's bedroom, Van's mom had hardly talked to him at all except to command to go with the odd little girl to get suitcases that were left by the mountain side. The black-haired boy glanced to the chatty stranger with a frown forming on his face. She was younger than him by at least a year. He could make out her brilliant green eyes even in the falling light. She wore a silly bunny dress that was dirty and ragged. Her light brown hair was cut short almost like a boy. Van vaguely wondered if his hair was longer than hers.

"Can we walk to the lake? I didn't get to see the fireflies. Mr. Fanel said they were really pretty at night."

"No," Van answered shortly. "I just want to get these suitcases and get back."

"Oh, I understand. You want to see your daddy." The girl stated with a smile, completely oblivious to his mood. "He's a nice man. I'd be happy to see him if I were you."

The boy ignored her smile. "I want to fix a boat I found. I don't care about him."

"You have a boat!" Her green eyes lit up excitedly. "Can I see it?"

"No."

"But I've always wanted to ride in a boat! I've never even been camping before!"

"You've already said that." Van pointed out rudely. He walked a little faster. "You don't need to keep telling me the same stuff."

"Why can't I see it?" she asked her smile slowly leaving her face. She panted to keep up with him. "Do you not like me?"

The black-haired boy closed his eyes briefly to suppress him growing anger. _I wait for two days to see my dad and he brings some strange girl who won't leave me alone!_

"Mr. Fanel always walks slower so I can keep up. You're not even going the right way. It's through these trees around the lake." She gestured to his left.

Van immediately turned the direction she was pointing and sped up a little more. She quickly fell behind him.

"Wait! Wait for me!"

"I don't want to!" Van shouted back.

"But I don't want to be left behind! You have the flashlight! It's scary out here!"

"Then go back! You can find the cabin just fine without a flashlight! And I'll find the suitcases just fine without you!"

"Your mom told me to come with you! Why don't you want me to come with you?"

The mahogany-eyed boy sighed audibly. Stopping his fast stride, he turned around with a crunch of foliage to shoot a scowl at the girl behind him. She stopped running at his expression and blinked with innocent curiosity. "You're annoying. I don't even know you. The only reason you are with me right now is because my mom told me to take you along. Who are you anyway? Why do you think you can just come here, follow me around, and talk my ear off?"

"Mr. Fanel said that I-"

"Why do you keep talking about my dad? He's _my_ dad, understand?"

The girl looked down and Van wondered if she was going to cry. Through the growing darkness, he saw her swallow and scratch her cheek with a bandaged finger. With his mixing anger, the black-haired boy felt a whisper of shame run through him.

"I don't have anyone else," he heard her soft reply. "Mr. Fanel is all I have left."

"Why not?" Van asked her bluntly. Shinning the flashlight on her face, he saw her bite her lower lip. "What about your own mom and dad?"

"Mr. Fanel told me my parents are dead. Mr. Fanel saved me."

"Oh," was the only reply Van could think of. He tried to stifle the growing shame that was easily pushing down his anger. He gritted his teeth against the swirling mix of embarrassment and pity that twisted in his stomach. There was silence between them. The trees' leaves around him whispered with the chilling wind. He saw her shiver under her little dress. The bad feeling grew stronger.

With a sigh that was accompanied with a groan, Van trudged closer to the little girl and reached out to grab her bandaged hand to lead her through the trees. She gasped and he felt an electrical spark crackle through their touching skin. The electricity ran all the way down his toes. He abruptly let go of her hand and clasped his shocked palm with a glare.

It didn't hurt him, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"You electrocuted me."

"I didn't mean to! I just got surprised!" The girl pleaded. "Do you want to hold my hand?"

The boy scowled. "Who'd want to hold your hand? You've got a lot of static shock. Don't touch me."

"You touched me first!" she retorted, growing defensive.

"I'm never touching you ever again!" Van shouted at her before turning back around to keep walking.

"Wait up, please!" he heard her call out. "You can hold my hand if you want to."

The mahogany-eyed boy felt heat rising to his face. "I told you, don't touch me!"

They continued together. The little girl kept distance from Van, which he was grateful for. The only way he knew she was still there was from the crunch of her footfalls on the ground. He wondered if she was upset with him, but then decided he didn't care. He just wanted to get these suitcases and get back to the cabin.

_I'll get that boat fixed up before tomorrow morning. Then it'll be me, my fishing pole, and the lake. I'll leave her on shore. _He smirked at his cruel thoughts. He could just see her crying to join him, but he wouldn't even look her way. _Holding her hand, what was I thinking? She's just a stupid kid._

It was several more minutes before two large cases sitting side by side slowly came into view through the trees. He flashed his light on them.

"There they are," she stated simply, still a little ways behind him. "They are really heavy. I'll help carry one."

"No, you won't. I can carry them just fine." Van announced raising his chin with pride. "I've gotten stronger since I've been here. These suitcases are a piece of cake."

The girl shot him a weird look. "I thought you'd only been here for a couple of days. You've already gotten stronger?"

"Of course, I have. I've been taking care of everything. I'm the man of the house. Make yourself useful and hold the flashlight." He turned to hand the flashlight over and the beam of light brightened considerably once it entered her hand. He thought about mentioning the oddity, but decided against it.

Might get her chatting non-stop again.

* * *

"What happened, Goau?" Varie asked quietly as she put a wet rag on his hot face. He was breathing heavily; his face screwed with pain. The pillows pressed against the huge bump on the back of his head. Reaching down beside her, she grabbed some cheap pain-killers she'd brought with her and popped open the lid. "Tell me after you swallow this. And please, don't keep anything from me. You owe me answers for everything you've put me through these past three years." She slid the medicine into his mouth and held up a plastic cup to his lips. "Drink all the water. You need rehydrating."

"My angel of comfort." the man smiled weakly after a swallow of water. She shot him a withering glare.

"Don't you start that nonsense with me."

Goau tried to sit up against the pillows. The activity made him gasp with pain. Varie pursed her lips and – with gentle hands – moved his body to a more comfortable sitting position.

"I'll go grab some fresh bandages. When the suitcases show up, we'll take care of that back." She left the room quietly and Goau sighed. It'd been a while since he'd visited the cabin on Jajuka's camp. His foggy vision rested on the familiar rugs on the wooden floor. Instantly, the vision of the Kanzaki's sprawled bodies washed over his eyes and he swallowed tightness in his throat. He could see them dead, their corpses slowly catching fire as the lab burned to the ground.

He was crying by the time she returned.

"Goau?" he heard her whisper. He glanced up to see her carrying a steaming bowl of water and two rolls of knitted cotton. "Are you okay?"

He nodded his head, his long dark hair falling into his face. Lifting his healthy hand, he quickly wiped his dark eyes dry. "I'm okay. I've just been through a lot. My mind is finally catching up with the impact of it all." He chuckled bitterly. "I lost my work and my best friend. I almost lost my life. For a while I thought I'd lost you and my boys. Your message was my lifeline. It kept me going." He could feel her staring at him. "There's only so much a man can take before he weeps like a little girl."

The woman walked over and set the bowl on the floor. She busied herself with making sure the bandages didn't roll away as she said, "We need to get that awful shirt off of you. I want to see how much you've hurt your back."

The black-haired man couldn't help grinning cheekily as she reached to grab the bottom of the Hawaiian print and carefully pulled it over his stomach. It was tough. Some of his healed scabs stuck to the fabric. "Couldn't wait to get my shirt off, could you?" he joked and then gave a hiss of pain as it passed by his burnt back.

"You're an idiot." She answered lifting the shirt all the way off. She whistled through her teeth at the amount of scratches and burns on him. "It looks like you've been through hell."

"That's a fairly accurate description of my journey here." Goau raised his eyebrows throughtfully before leaning forward for her to inspect his back. She climbed to perch on his pillow and gasped.

"Good God, what have you been doing?" she demanded. "You've got a horrible gash down your back! And the burn! Goau, this is serious!"

"That scrape is probably from the concrete when the cars exploded. I have a pretty big bump on the back of my head to go with it."

He sensed Varie grow anxious behind him. "Exploding cars?"

"It's a long story."

"Goau, you have to go to the hospital."

"There is no way that is happening."

"I don't have the supplies or medical training! It'll get infected if you stay here in the wilderness."

"So, learn how to disinfect it. I can't go to a hospital."

"I think I'm ready to hear this 'long story' of yours." He heard the scowl in her voice.

"Sure."

"And you won't leave anything out?"

"I've learned my lesson, trust me." His voice caught slightly on his words and he cleared his throat.

"Well, while we wait for the ointment for your burn, let's check out that hand." She stated suddenly business-like.

"Thanks, Var," he said her nickname on reflex and he felt the air tense around them. She was still for only a half-second before sliding off the bed and pulling a chair to his side.

"So, start from the beginning."

And so Goau told her. He explained the fossil, its mysteries, and how powerful the object was. He described the test that Kanzaki missed and how the antimatter stabled even when exposed in the atmosphere. In the middle of his tale he noticed through the dirty window on his left Van emerging from the forest. The boy was struggling with the heavy suitcases as little Hitomi walked beside him with the flashlight. His son walked into the bedroom, sheen of sweat coming from him. The man stopped his description of the Parameter test results and nodded his thanks to Van.

The boy blinked, turned swiftly out of the room, and left the cabin. The screen door slammed behind him. As he crossed the yard, Goau watched Hitomi followed the boy in the darkness.

Varie remained quiet until Fanel told how Hitomi was shot in the heart in the hallway.

"The little girl was shot? But, Goau, she seems healthy to me." She whispered behind him. She'd gotten the ointment out and was slowly spreading a hot towel on his burns to clean the blue lint stuck to his skin from the Hawaiian shirt. Several times, his voice cracked with the pain, but he forced himself to keep talking.

"This isn't even the strangest part." He answered her. He gave sighed with relief as soon as the ointment hit his skin.

As he mentioned the hydrogen tank explosion, her hand trembled. Goau told her about Tsukasa's last words, then how he cut his hand on a piece of shrapnel, and then how the stray bullet had caught Hitomi's mother in the head.

"She'd laid the girl on the Energist. The next thing I knew, the little girl was sitting up, and the antimatter's residue was inside her. Her wound closed, Varie. Right before my eyes."

"This is impossible."

"I'm not even done." He let a small laugh escape him.

Goau kept going. Their escape from the lab, getting her voicemail before Hitomi destroyed his phone, and meeting Balgus.

"Balgus?" she interrupted. "As in, my step-brother Balgus? No way…"

"Yes, way," He nodded with a half-smile at her surprise. "I still can't believe it either. He's the same as ever was. Still just as grumpy."

"So, how did you get this huge burn here?" she asked indicating his back. "Did Balgus burn you?"

"Wouldn't put it past him, but no. Let me keep going."

The dark-haired man talked. The taxi, the bridge, the briefcase full of money, the bullets whistling past his head. During his description of the exploding traffic, Varie's mouth actually dropped open.

By the end of the tale, Goau needed another glass of water.

"I can't believe it…" she breathed. Handing him the glass, she pushed her hair over her shoulder and sat down – not on the chair – but on the side of his bed. "I just can't believe any of it…"

"Trust me; I'm still _trying_ to believe it. You see why I can't go to the hospital?"

She nodded, biting her lip. Slipping her mahogany eyes away from his face, she played with her fingers in her lap.

"I know that gesture, Var." Goau narrowed his eyes at her. "You've got a story as well. It's time for you to talk. How did you know to escape?"

She swallowed and finally met his eyes.

"Folken came to the rent house. He told me that your lab was going to be destroyed. He knew all about it. He acted like he was a part of it. He's said something about a corporation that wanted what you've been working on. I guess now I know it's this Energist thing. The attack… he called it Operation RED. He told me you were working on something that will bring the end of the world. He said that they'd come for me too. They were going to kill Van and I just for being in association with you. He knew we had no idea what your experiments were, so he came to warn us. I called you once he left and gave you the voice message. I destroyed my phone right after the call and came here to wait. I never knew if you'd get it or not. Or if you were even alive." She bowed her head, twisting her fingers together. "It's been horrible waiting for you."

"I survived…" The black-haired man whispered clenching his fists on the bed. "I found you because you thought to leave the message for me. That was smart, Var."

"I have my moments," she murmured quietly. "But Goau, Folken-"

"Folken is part of these killers that want me dead. My child is with this corporation. It was horrible, Varie. What I saw… these people are monsters. And he's one of them…" He closed his eyes against the rush of pain that swept through him. His head pulsed with agony. _I don't think I can handle much more than this, Tsukasa. Tell someone to lay off up there for a while._

"He's after you. I think Folken wants you dead more than anyone else."

Goau could barely breathe. His clouded vision grew worse.

"My own son… he wants to kill me."

"He's different." Varie shook her head at the memory. "He wasn't _our _Folken. He's changed so much since he left the house. He wasn't Folken again until Van came in the room. He even walked to Van and embraced him. He told Van to take care of me. Then he left. What are we going to do? He'll figure out through those killers in the park that you survived the attack. And they probably saw the explosion, too. The little girl with you will be in danger if they figure out what she can do. We can't possibly stay at this cabin forever. They'll find us somehow just like they found you at the park."

Goau scratched his arm with his newly bandaged hand. "Then I've got to leave, Var. I've got to keep running."

"But… no, no, that's not what I-"

He stopped her with a look. "I've got to study this Energist. I need to see what power it has. Why and how did it do this to Hitomi? Where did it originate from? Dinosaurs? Monsters? What does it want? I don't even know if the dig up site was carbon dated. My lab focused primarily on the Energist's functions. But now…I think there's more than that. I have to go to the source. I have to go to where it was dug up."

"I can go with you. I can help." She said quickly meeting his calm dark eyes with her own sharp mahogany.

Goau sighed and broke their locked eyes. "I'm fairly certain this Operation RED took care of the paleontologist team that was in charge of the site. Most likely, they wiped out everything and everyone having to do with this entire discovery. There are so many questions that have to be answered. It will all be in enemy territory."

"We'll find a way."

"I can't put you in danger. Not again."

She stopped and let his words wash over her. Her teeth gritted together and she felt hot anger swirl in her stomach. "So, that's it? You're gone again? You're just going to disappear from my life once more? Bury yourself in research and forget you even have a family?"

"It's for your own safety. You can't-"

"You're just deciding this on your own again! 'You can't this, Varie'. 'You can't that, Varie'. Stop saying that to me!" she shouted. "I wanted my husband here. I've always wanted him here, but he had other obligations. He had his secret research. There was no time for family. No time to even tell me what kept him from me. Because of this, Folken, _your own son_, has gone off the deep end and wants to actually _kill_ you!"

"You have to understand, Varie. I did that to keep you safe."

"Well, they wanted me dead anyways!"

"I can't do what I need to do with my family all around me."

"You don't know that because you've never even tried."

Goau was silent. Swallowing, he reached out and grabbed one of her twisting hands. Gently squeezing her fingers, he quietly whispered, "This is the only way I can protect you and Van. I love you, Varie. I always will. You _are _the love of my life. I was a fool for never realizing how much I hurt you until it was too late. It's been three years since the divorce and all I want is to hold you right now and make you forgive me for the pain I caused. But, once again, I have to go. My son is hunting me with a secret corporation that will kill anyone in the way to get what they want. I'll only get you and Van killed if I take you with me."

Her mahogany eyes were wet with unshed tears. "But I don't want you to go. What if I never see you again?"

"I'll be back. I have to come back for Hitomi."

Varie blinked. "For Hitomi? What do you mean?"

"I'm leaving her with you. She needs a family right now. She can't survive traveling with me. It's only logical she stays with you in hiding."

"You told me she blew up cars just by being scared. She even shocked me in the woods when I ran into her to find you. Hitomi will cause attention every time she feels any strong emotion at all. She'll blow up a house if she gets a broken heart. This corporation will be after her as soon as she enters school."

Fanel shook his head. He squeezed her fingers again. "She deserves a normal childhood. Hitomi is too young to understand what is happening to her. Her parents were killed right in front of her, remember? She needs a mother to love her. A brother to protect her. As for her power, she'll have to learn to control her emotions. She'll need your help. Van's help. You'll need different names. Different backgrounds. Something that can't be traced."

"And you'll be able to find us again? Even with these new names?"

He smiled and a strange light hit his eyes. "You're my firefly. You wait on the ground and I fly around all dazed and confused. I can find your beautiful sparkle in even the tallest grass. My bioluminescence can't help but be attracted to yours."

She couldn't help snorting a laugh at his suggestive expression. "You are the most idiotic man I've ever met."

"And you believe I'll fly back for your glow?"

"The metaphor is running thin, Goau."

"You trust me, right?"

She sighed and her shoulders sagged. "I don't know how you make me do what you want by calling me a fly."

"They're beetles actually." He chuckled. She slapped his hand that was gently cradling her fingers, and left her palm on top of his. She heard his breath catch.

"Not that I'm agreeing, but something like that will take money."

"There's a certain briefcase that will help with that."

As if drawn by fate, both their heads turned to the window just in time to see Hitomi walk slowly past the window and sit down on the porch. Her small Band-Aid legs tucked under her chin, she laid her soft cheek on her knees.

Varie turned her eyes back to Goau. He met her gaze and read her thoughts.

"I'll be back for her. Once I get more information on the Energist, I'll find where you are hiding and take her with me."

"And you'll leave me behind again."

"I have to."

She closed her eyes. "No matter how much I hate you for that, I know you have to. How long until you come for her?"

Goau went quiet. He stroked his thumb against her fingers. Finally, he said, "As long as it takes."

* * *

Gray hardly blinked at the gruesome scenes that displayed on the screen in front of him. Copies of Dilandau's video were hard to come by considering the Corp hardly wanted to showcase such a failure. Luckily, the silver-haired man knew he could always get what he wanted with the right price. Sure enough, The Merchant had somehow procured a copy.

How the man got his supplies, Gray didn't want to know.

The video was everything Gray expected it to be. Gory. Wild abandoned killing spree. That was how Dilandau was operated to function. And he did his job gloriously. It would have been a shame for Zaibach to terminate such a talent. Gray figured perhaps that was why it was so easy to get the boy off the execution block. Dornkirk knew the boy's potential.

Gray's eyes narrowed with understanding and irritation. _The old man had figured out already that Dilandau would come to me. He knew I would save him. He probably had it all planned from the beginning, I'm sure. _The mahogany-eyed youth didn't know if he liked the idea of being used by Dornkirk. He brushed that thought aside and watched another bullet travel through a scientist's brain. Though it'd take time for Dilandau to go through training again, Gray silently congratulated himself on rescuing the boy.

_His talents are exactly what I'll need. Next time, father won't be able to dodge the bullets._

He watched as the camera displayed a hallway that was empty of people. The image swerved to a closed office door. A foot raised right below the screen as if the boy was going to kick the door open.

Suddenly, the image swiveled to the right and Gray blinked.

"There you are, sweetheart." He whispered quietly to the silent screaming girl on the screen.

* * *

Van cracked his mahogany eyes open as a stream of morning light turned his eyelids red. Sitting up slowly, he blinked and looked around the bedroom. It took him several seconds to realize he was on the floor of the log cabin. A small hand was dangling off the bed beside his head.

That's right. The girl had taken his bed.

Grumbling under his breath, the boy pushed off the covers, stood, and stretched his tight muscles. Today was fishing day. The boat was ready to go. He'd made sure to patch all the holes on the bottom last night.

It was perfect.

Shoving his feet into boots, Van walked out of the room without looking at the little girl on the bed.

He didn't see her green eyes already open, a dazed expression on her face.

* * *

Dragging the boat through the trees was a chore, but Van smiled proudly as he rested for a handful of minutes on the banks of the lake. Picking up his jar of worms, he tapped the dirty glass with a fingernail. _I hope this works,_ he thought to himself. There wasn't much to choose from in terms of fishing rods. He had picked the best one out of the four he could find. It was a bit rusty, but it should work. He'd studied the other rods to see how the line connected. He'd torn apart two poles before he finally got the hang of wiring it up.

He glanced over the rusted pole and extra string he'd brought sitting next to him. He tied the line carefully to the rotating barrel and rolled the wire until it was full. Threading the line through the corroded eyes of the pole, he grinned as he let out ten more inches of line. On the end came the old weight and eroded hook. He tested the set up and gave a happy laugh.

"I did it." He said to no one in particular_._ He gently swung the pole watching the weight and hook rock back and forth. "I actually got it to work. I'm a genius." Latching the hook safely on one of the eyes, he walked over to the boat. The black-haired boy set the pole gently inside the boat and turned to pluck his worms from the ground.

He gasped in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded to the little girl behind him. She was still in the big blue t-shirt his mother had found for her to sleep in. Her bare feet were filthy from walking on the dew covered ground. She was panting slightly as if she ran all the way from the cabin to the lake.

"You shouldn't go out." She said green eyes bright with fear.

Van frowned at her. "What are you talking about? I do what I want."

Her voice raised a bit more. "You'll die! You can't go!" Taking steps closer to him, she reached out a hand to grab his arm.

"I told you yesterday, don't touch me!" Van yelled. He brushed her hand away and felt a jolt of electricity run through him. "You shocked me again! Stop doing that!"

"But the boat is dangerous!"

"Buzz off! I'm going!"

"I can't let you go, Van!" she grabbed his sleeve with both hands. "Please, don't go!"

"Leave me alone!" The mahogany-eyed boy shouted and pushed her away. He was jolted with another shock as she fell to the ground. "You're a freak!"

A tear slipped down her cheek, her green eyes were full of confusion. Lifting herself off the ground, she stumbled away and out of sight. Van snorted with anger.

"Keep running!" he called after her. Smirking, he strolled back to the boat, placed the worms inside, and pushed off from the edge.

* * *

Varie jerked awake. Her neck gave a terrible popping noise and she lifted her face off the quilt. With a disordered blink, she realized her head had fallen on Goau's bed.

She glanced over at the man and suppressed a smile. He was on his stomach fast asleep, his arms dangling over either side of the bed. She let her eyes linger on his burnt back and she felt a pang of sadness hit her. He'd be leaving again. She knew he had to.

That didn't mean that she had to like it though.

Combing her long hair with her fingers, she sighed and pushed her hair over her shoulders. Standing up, she bent down to pick up the roll of bandages that had fallen to the floor.

"Mrs. Fanel…" a small faint voice called from outside. Varie looked up instinctively and noticed the little girl running from the forest in her blue shirt pajamas.

"Mrs. Fanel! Come quick!" the little girl pounded up the steps and the mahogany-eyed woman rushed to meet her in the living room.

"Van! Van's in trouble!"

Varie quickly noticed how the lights instantly turned on in the living room as soon as the girl entered the area. She had turned them off the night before. And now they were on… by themselves…

"Calm down, Hitomi, calm down. What's wrong?" she squatted down to the girl's level and gently held the girl's small shoulders. An energizing current rushed through Varie's body causing her to gulp in surprise. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but it was definitely alarming.

"Van's on the lake in a boat! He's drowning!" the girl cried, tears slipping down her cheeks. She grabbed Varie's hands and pulled on her. "You have to save him."

"What?" The woman's mind tried to process the information. "Van's drowning?"

"Yes!" Hitomi said shrilly. "In the lake! He's in the lake!" She pulled even harder on her hands.

Standing up immediately, Varie ran out of the screen door, the girl trailing behind her.

She raced, her heart pumping with a fear she'd never known before. She pasted through the trees as fast as she could, but felt like she was crawling. She heard nothing but the sound of her pounding feet on the leafy ground.

It felt like hours had passed till she got to the lake. She stopped by the water's edge, but there was not a boat in sight.

"Van?" she panted. "Van, where are you?"

There was only silence from the quiet lake.

"VAN!" she screamed, her eyes widening with fright. Her voice echoed across the water.

"He's in the middle to the left!" she heard a small voice gasp out behind her.

Without a moment's hesitation, the woman stormed into the lake, pushing her legs against the murky water.

"Where in the middle?" she called back, her voice cracking.

"Keep going straight, Mrs. Fanel! He's a bit further!"

The lake suddenly bottomed out and Varie couldn't touch anymore. She stroked through the cloudy water, kicking off her shoes as she went.

"Right there!" Hitomi little voice called from the shore. "He's under you!"

Taking a deep breath, the woman submerged and swam down, her hands outstretched in the water. She felt something hard and opened her mahogany eyes.

It looked like a boat, but she wasn't sure through the foggy green water. Her breath was quickly running out. She had to find Van.

She had to.

Following the edge of the boat, she reached inside and felt wet fabric brush her fingers. She grabbed hold of the fabric and Van's still face drifted into her eye-sight. She had his t-shirt in her hand. Taking hold under the boy's underarms, she tried to tug Van up. He stopped. He was caught by the boat somehow.

Her breath was gone. She needed air. Letting go of her son, she swam up and gasped as her head broke the surface. She heard the cries of the little girl on the bank, but didn't register it. She dove back down.

Pushing her arms and legs, she found Van once again and searched for a way to release him from the boat. Feeling around, she noticed his foot tucked in the crevice of the bow. His shoe was wedged.

Grasping his leg with trembling hands, she yanked hard with her feet against the boat. Letting bubbles escape with the effort, she realized her head was getting dizzy. She pulled harder. The boat refused to let go.

_Please, who ever is up there. Please. Don't take my baby._

She heaved, gasping. Water entered her mouth. She tried to tug a little more, but her arms felt heavy.

_Please… please, don't take him._

Her brain was clogged, she couldn't breathe. She pulled one last time. One last ferocious time.

Van's foot slipped out of his shoe.

She drifted quickly away from the boat, pulling her son with her. Summoning all the strength she could muster, she swam for the surface. Van's body hung limply in her arms.

As soon as her head hit the surface, she gasped and coughed water out of her mouth. She breathed in the delicious air and pulled Van up so his head was exposed. He was pale. Completely still.

"You got him!?" Hitomi cried out.

"Yeah," Varie called back still coughing. She swam quickly towards the shore and the twitchy little girl. The five-year-old ran to meet her on the surf of the lake. Varie pushed her shaking legs to fight against the green water, Van's limp body in her arms. She hit dry land and gently set Van down.

She didn't see the girl's green eyes slowly fog over.

"Van?" she panted, kneeling down beside her son. She shook his shoulders "Van? Please, breathe!"

He was still. His eyes closed. His usually tan skin was an unearthly pale. The woman put her head on the boy's chest.

No heart beat.

"Van, no! NO!" Varie shouted her tears warm on her wet face. She held the boy's smooth cheeks in her violently trembling hands. "Breathe, honey! BREATHE!" He remained still.

He was dead.

"This can't be happening... this can't be happening to me..." she pressed her forehead against his cold one and cried on his face. "My baby boy... please..."

An odd static feeling crept up behind the woman, but she didn't pay attention. Suddenly, a strong electric current shot from her left shoulder and through her body like a bolt of lightning. The woman gasped and turned to see Hitomi's hand resting there.

"Let me see him," the girl said calmly. Through Varie's watery vision, she saw the brilliant sparkle of Hitomi's green eyes… and felt fear. She backed away from under the hand in fright and scooted closer to Van's head. She watched with held breath as Hitomi climbed on top the boy's body, sat on his stomach, and placed her hands on his silent chest.

The long-haired woman cried out as a fierce electric flow pulsed out of the girl's arms, down to her small palms and through the boy's body. His limbs jerked with the shock.

"Wha… what are you doing?" Varie sobbed. The girl ignored her. Her green eyes were focused on Van's still face. She pulsed the energy again. His body wiggled with the aftershock, but his eyes remained closed.

Hitomi inhaled and the woman heard the girl whisper something. Another shock followed.

And another.

And another.

The green-eyed girl stopped for a moment. Varie watched her young face tighten with anger.

"You're a meanie!" She shocked him.

"You call me names!" she shocked him.

"You didn't believe me!" she shocked him.

"And now you've made your family sad!" she shocked him.

"If you die, I won't _ever_ forgive you!" she bellowed and shocked him.

Van gasped. His eyes opened wide.

Coughing and rolling to his side, water spurted out of his mouth and nose. The little girl jumped off his stomach as Varie rushed forward. He sucked in a ragged breath and coughed it out with more water.

"Van," the woman whispered through her tears. Her cold hands touched his face- his neck- his heart raced under her fingers. "Van!" she howled and grabbed the boy to her. Hugging him tightly with trembling arms, she smoothed the wet hair out of his eyes and rocked him. He coughed roughly and took in more air.

"Van… Van…" Varie cooed to him, crying freely and rubbing his back. "You're okay… You're going to be okay, Van… I love you so much… You're okay…"

The boy kept his eyes closed, panting for breath.

Several minutes passed as Van breathing slowly evened out. Varie continued to rock the boy and talk to him. She never noticed the small girl with brilliant green eyes slowly back away from the loving scene.

Tears of her own falling to the dirt floor.

* * *

**Thrilling, wasn't** **it? **:)

I find it funny that I killed Hitomi in one chapter and brought her back to life. Then I turn around, kill Van, and bring him back to life, too! My main characters really get a lot of problems from me. But I can't help it if you have to die for plot!

Like always, if you liked the chapter, thought it was horrible, want me to stop writing forever, or verbally throw fruit at me, you can write it all out below this author's note. I do sincerely hope you liked it though.

Work as been a bit trying this week. A lot of stuff to do. Yet somehow I pushed that all aside and finished this! lol! What a wonderful employee I am!

Welp, see ya next time - hopefully this week!

blue...


	7. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Okay, I had this more than halfway done before the start of the weekend. I was worked on it like a fiend just now, so I can go ahead and post it to make up for the lack of weekend update. It's shorter and lacking quite a bit of action (it has more action of another kind... ;)

Anyways, despite this being my shortest chapter. It is a definite transitional chapter. The next one should be pretty interesting... at least, I think it is...

Well, see you at the bottom! Have fun!

* * *

Stretching his thin legs out from the porch, Van leaned back on his tan palms while the sun shined through the swaying trees. He took a deep breath, smiling quietly to himself. It'd been almost a month since his boat accident, but he still appreciated a good deep inhale and exhale of air. He knew he'd never take oxygen for granted again for the rest of his life.

The mahogany-eyed boy let the sun warm his entire body. It'd been chilly for the past several days. His mom had said it was always slightly cold in the mountain. _Today is the day dad wants to leave. _He felt his hearts sink a bit. He didn't want him go.

His father had made the announcement several nights ago just as they'd sat down with their canned pork and beans. Van had looked from his mother to his father and back again. The girl's mouth had dropped open and she stared at his father in frozen disbelief. Slowly, the lights around the kitchen began to grow brighter.

"You're going away?" She whispered through vibrant green eyes. A strange humming noise came from the ancient floor lamp several feet away from her. The black-haired boy instantly reached out and grabbed her hand under the table. He pushed down the urge to wince at her sparking touch. She gave a startled jump at his unexpected gesture and glanced at him. Taking a deep breath, he nodded at her to do the same. She breathed slowly and the energy current lessened considerably. The lamp behind her quieted down.

Releasing her hand, he gave her a quick smile.

"I have to go." His father continued as if nothing had happened. He had a strange unreadable expression in his eyes as he glanced at Van. "I need to figure out what to do about the Energist. The fossil isn't working the way it used to ever since the antimatter went into Hitomi. I want to know why. I feel like once I know the origins of this thing, I can get more answers. It'll be extremely dangerous, so I can't take you with me. I'm going to protect you three by any means necessary, and that means I can't bring you into enemy territory. Varie will take care of you. We have already been discussing different places you all could go to be safe."

"We are hiding _here_ just fine." Van said narrowing his eyes. "Why do you have to go away to research it? This place is perfect."

"I've studied it here as best I can, but I need certain tools and equipment to test my hypothesis." Goau explained.

"I'm sorry, Van, I know you love this place." his mother piped up. "We have to leave the cabin. Jajuka said the winter campers are coming and we are taking up space. Besides, we need to find a place for you to go to school safely. Your father and I decided to try to give you as normal a life as possible."

"While dad runs off to do experiments?"

"Your father is leaving for our protection. The killers will be after the Energist. Hitomi can hopefully stay a secret from them while they are looking for him."

"So, you're going to keep the killers away from us by risking your own life for experiments?" the boy asked with incredulity. "That is just stupid. Forget about the Energist, dad. If that's what the killers want then just give it to them. Then we can all be together. We can be a family and then Folken can come home."

Varie visibly cringed. "It's not that simple, Van."

"Why can't it be simple?"

The mother gave an exasperated glanced at the dark-headed man beside her. "We can't just give it up. Its power saved Hitomi's life. And through her, you. You owe your life to the Energist."

"But-"

Fanel's dark eyes grew stern. "The Energist is my greatest discovery, son. Many special people died because the killers wanted a piece of it. I refuse to hand it off like some worthless object."

"I don't want you to go either," the little girl said quietly staring imploringly at the man.

He sighed, braced his elbows on the table, and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "I've thought through this entire situation, kids. I don't want to leave anyone, but I have to. I'm the only one left who stands in the way of the killers getting the Energist. They'll eventually find me if I stay in one place too long. They found us when we were in the park, remember Hitomi?" He turned to the little girl and she nodded solemnly. "Your father and I only scratched the surface of what the Energist really is. The way it replenished its own radiation… the way it's antimatter was completely stabilized in our atmosphere. The Energist is probably from a different universe altogether. To give up something as momentous as this… I can't do that. Not if this thing can save the modern world. Not if the possibility of discovering a brand new universe is in our grasp. There has to be a reason the Energist is here. And for that I have to keep going. For Kanzaki's sake and for mine as well."

The black-haired boy shook his head. "This is still stupid."

"I'm leaving to help Hiomi, son. I have no idea what the Energist has done to her. It's why she has such a 'shocking' personality, after all." The man grinned at his joke. The little girl giggled quietly while Varie rolled her eyes.

"So, what happens to Hitomi, then?" the black-haired boy asked confused.

"She's staying with you and Varie, of course. She's been through enough adventures with me for now." The older man shot her a smile.

"I want to go with you, Mr. Fanel." She whispered to her plate. "You can figure out what is wrong with me, right? I want to know, too."

"I'm sorry, honey," Varie shook her head. "You need to go to school like Van."

Van smirked. "She'll blow up the electronics at school, mom."

"She'll have to learn to control it. From what I saw just now, she's already getting the hang of it." Goau answered smirking just like his son. The boy blushed a bit. "Hitomi, you need Van's help if you want to stop causing problems with your energy. You can practice with him. He'll be able to help you decipher emotions from power."

"How do I do that?" she asked.

Varie frowned thoughtfully and shot Fanel a secret smile. "You might try telling jokes and laughing while holding Van's hand. He can help you figure out how to tell your power apart from your emotions. He'll let you know if your power is surging or not. That'd probably be less traumatizing than using pain and fear."

"That's a good idea, mom." The boy nodded.

Her green eyes still on the table, she shook her head. "I don't want to practice with him."

Van's forehead instantly furrowed with hurt and anger. Confusion and irritation was written all over his face. He turned away from the girl to glare at the floor. Varie and Goau noticed his sour expression and exchanged another furtive look.

"Why don't you want to practice with him, Hitomi?" Varie asked the girl sweetly.

"I don't want to hurt him. He twitches every time I get angry or scared. It must hurt him when he touches me like that. He shouldn't hurt himself just to help me."

"I don't mind." Van immediately said. He zipped his brightened mahogany eyes back on her face. He blushed as both his parents smiled at him. "That is… if it's to help you not make an idiot of yourself at school." He added quickly.

The girl blinked at him. "But doesn't it hurt when I shock you?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Van," his mother tried to frown at him, but she couldn't help the smile forming on her face. "You know it doesn't hurt." Turning to the girl, she said, "Hitomi, I've told you before. Your power only hurts electronics. It's more of a surprise than anything else."

"A surprise…" she whispered to herself.

"Blowing up electronics at school would be really funny though." The boy chuckled and Varie frowned at him for real. He cleared his throat, "But yeah, it would cause problems. That's why you should practice controlling it with me."

"Good, I'm glad that's settled." Goau announced, picking up his fork. Scooping some beans on top, he smiled. "Let's eat!"

Van shook the memory out of his mind. His father was leaving them soon. The black-haired boy felt a pang of sadness hit him. He regretted his first thoughts about his father. Having his dad in the house made his mom start smiling again. Some nights before bedtime, Van saw his parents whispering together, leaning close to each other. What his father said at the table that night – protecting them by any means necessary– was close to what a superhero would have said. Maybe he really was one and he didn't know it. And through him, Van would be one, too.

"Van?" a small voice sounded his name from behind him. Hitomi opened the screen door. "What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking," he answered vaguely not looking at her. He kept his eyes to the swaying trees in front of him.

"Thinking about what?"

"I'm making up a poem."

"Another one?" he heard the happy smile in her voice. "Can I listen to it?"

"It's not done yet."

"So, when it's done I can hear it?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Because it's so scary, you'll blow up the house." He laughed to himself.

"You're still a meanie," she murmured to him. He heard her open the screen door to leave.

"You want to practice some more?" He asked quickly, turning around to finally look at her. She was wearing her old bunny dress. The first outfit he'd seen her in.

She blinked at him. Slowly a wide smile crinkled her green eyes.

"Okay!"

* * *

Goau shifted his pack off his good shoulder and dropped it onto the front seat of the car with a soft thud. Turning around, he smiled sadly at the two children waiting side by side behind him.

"I said I'll be back."

"You also said it would take years, too." Van murmured under his breath with a scowl. The boy clenched his fists at his side. The little girl beside him noticed his tense body and gave Goau a concerned look. The black-haired man narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. _She's so perceptive for a kid._

The man sighed and motioned to Van. "I want to talk to you alone for a bit, son. Excuse us, Hitomi."

She nodded her head with a smile and backed away slowly from them to give the two males space. Goau knelt on the grass so he was eye level with Van. Placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, he squeezed them affectionately. "I'm leaving your mom and Hitomi in your care. Your mom is going to need your help more than ever now. And Hitomi, she's a precious girl, son. You have to look after them both for me."

"I-I…" Van stuttered and swallowed.

"I'm letting you know, Van. When I come back, I'm coming to take Hitomi with me. She's tied to the Energist in ways that are even beyond my understanding."

"You're taking her?"

"I am planning on it. I feel like she's the key to all of this. I just don't know how."

"Okay," the boy answered. "I understand why you need to go and why you will later take Hitomi with you, but I have one question."

"What's that?"

"Why can't you take me with you when you come to get her? I can be useful! When I'm older I can learn how to protect you and her from the killers! I'll be brave just like Folken!"

Goau's eyes tightened at the mention of his first son's name. He swallowed, "You need to just be yourself, Van. Don't push yourself to be anything but what I see in front of me right here. That should be plenty to keep your mother and Hitomi in tow." He smiled. "When I come back, I need you to stay and take care of your mother. She'll depend on you to keep her safe."

"I guess..." the boy conceded. "Just so you know," he placed his small hands on his father's shoulders so that they mirrored each other. "I'll protect them with my life while you're gone."

"That's what I want to hear." Goau's smile grew wider. "You have grown so much since I last saw you, Van. You've become even braver than Folken could ever be. Don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise."

He pulled his son into a hug and heard the boy whisper to himself, "Braver than Folken..."

* * *

The car's wheels bumped ungracefully on the dirt road, but it didn't help to cover the strained silence that remained stagnant in the vehicle. The dark-haired man glanced quietly at the woman driving. She had a tense look on her face, which he was sure was reflected on his own face. This month he'd spent with her had been one of the best in his life. All of her quirky habits kept coming back to him. The way she brushed her hair over her shoulder when she got nervous or deep in thought or the way her eyes lit up when an idea hit her. Even the way she slept, her eyelids fluttering softly with dreams.

More often than not, he'd resisted the urge to hold her hand. Even worse was the temptation to kiss her soundly and never let her go. But the days for that were over. She'd helped him get better in a friendly way, with not an ounce of romantic inclination…

Except that first night when she'd held his hand.

But ever since then, they'd spent the remaining weeks politely discussing their plans, fears, and goals for this new discovery. She was more insightful than he was. She would have been a really good ally during the seven years he'd spent studying the stone. Varie, with one glance at the weakly pulsing Energist, figured out that the bright pink hue it once glowed with was gone. The light it produced now was grayer tone; more lifeless than before. Yet Hitomi's cheeks were a constant shade of rosy hue. She seemed to glimmer with a sweet pink blush.

_Trust a woman to realize the lack of pink. _Goau thought smiling.

He found himself wondering more and more if she'd wait for him to return. He'd have to leave her after he came back. He was just coming to get Hitomi once he learned more about the origins of the Energist.

He couldn't ask her to _not_ see anyone. She was still young enough to have more children. Still beautiful to attract any man she wanted.

Goau sighed and folded his arms across his chest. He was smart enough to admit he was jealous. He didn't want her to find anyone else. He wanted her to always wait for him. But that was the worst thing he could ever ask her to do. That was just as bad as ignoring her during his years of research.

But just like the past, his research once again came first in his life. He had to put aside his entire family for it. He wondered if he'd ever learn his lesson.

No amount of answers is worth your family.

"We are getting close to the edge of the camp. Are you sure you want to continue from here?" Varie asked quietly. "I could drive you to the nearest gas station. That way you could bum a ride or something."

Goau shook his head, his dark hair brushing on his forehead. "No, no, this is fine. It's better if I don't go anywhere public anyways. I'll try to keep them off my tail as much as I can."

"Right," she murmured.

There was silence between them again as the air tensed with awkwardness. Minutes slipped by like seconds. Finally, the woman neared the end of the dirt road and a more paved street slowly came into view in front of them. She stopped the car just on the edge of the new road and put it in park to idle. Goau glanced at her and saw her eyes staring at the wheel with an unreadable expression.

"I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me, Var. You didn't have to take care of me, but you did. And Hitomi. You didn't even bat an eye when I asked you to take care of her. Thank you."

A small smile slowly spread on her lips. "She's a sweet, smart child. I already love her. Never mind the fact she saved Van's life. How could I say no to her? And you showed up here all scratched and burned. Only someone without a soul could have turned you away. Your back is a lot better now."

"Still sore, but yeah. It'll scar."

"I know."

Another silence fell, this one even more awkward than before. The man swallowed thickly and released a small sigh. He slowly removed his seatbelt with an audible click and heard it whip loudly back into its holder by his head. The sound almost made him wince.

"Well, I guess I better be off. This is goodbye for now." He didn't move to grab his bags. He didn't want to go.

"I know. It's only for a while, right?" She answered simply still keeping her eyes on the wheel.

"That's right."

"And then you'll be back."

"Once I know more."

"And then you'll be gone after that and I'll probably never see you again."

"Varie…"

"No, Goau, no. I'm okay," a small tear slipped out from the corner of her right eye. She brushed the wetness with an impatient hand and laughed shakily. "I know this is what you have to do. I _know_ that."

"It still doesn't make it easy, Var. Knowing this is something I must do… and _wanting_…"

He said the word without thinking. He was just following her thought process. He glanced sideways at her and she turned her eyes on his face. Carelessly tossing his nervousness aside, Goau leaned and brushed the tears that had started to streak down her smooth cheeks. With his other hand, he gently pushed back the long hairs from her neck. He watched her breath catch as he framed her face in his hands.

"Goodbye, my love." He whispered to her. She blinked more tears.

Gently caressing her neck with his fingers, he let her go and moved to grab his bags.

Opening that door was one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life. He felt more than heard her sobs. They resounded in his mind as well.

He shut the door and shouldered his pack. Swallowing down his grief, he took one step away from the car… then another… then another…

His thoughts were full of wants; of what-ifs never explored. He was so distracted he never heard the car door open behind him. He felt the petite hand grab his arm to turn him around until it was too late.

A small, strong arm wrapped around his neck, forcing his face down. Soft, urgent lips pressed firmly against his. He saw the wind blowing long strands of hair. Letting his bag fall to the ground, he grabbed the woman in front of him and returned the kiss. It was a tearful one, mixed with longing and wishes. It spoke of partings and of wanting more.

He kissed her cheeks, her neck, and the soft part behind her ear before traveling back to her parted lips. She gasped under his hands. He wanted her. He had always wanted her. He will always want her.

"I love you." He felt her mouth forming the words against his. "I'll wait for you."

He was panting. He was deliriously intoxicated. He couldn't leave her. He couldn't get his hands to stop pulling her closer and closer.

Closing his dark eyes, he clenched his fists and slowly let go of her. She unwrapped her arms from around his neck and shoulders. They stared at each other, both pairs of eyes wanting so much more than the other can give.

"Come back to me." She whispered.

"I will." His voice broke a bit on the words.

With a crunch of gravel under his shoe, Goau reached down, picked up his dropped bag, and began walking away.

Every step made her crying harder to hear…

…until he couldn't hear it at all…

* * *

**I had a really hard time with this last scene in particular.**

I didn't know for a while how I wanted their relationship to be. At the beginning of the story, she's totally not wanting him in their lives, and then in less than two months, she loves him. I guess it could happen. But as I started writing it more and more, I realized that this is how it should be. Both in my story - and probably how I'd respond as a woman - would be exactly like Varie (Yes, yes, I'd jump a guy. So what?) Besides, I have lacked in the romance scenes. I needed a pick-me-up.

Expect the next one sometime this week. It'll have more characters you are familiar with! I'll really happy with how it's turning out so far! :) Also, same as before, you liked the chapter, hated it, want to verbally pelt fruit - go for it. I'll welcome the fruit. I forgot lunch at work today.

Hope you guys had a glorious weekend! See ya next chapter!

blue...


	8. Mystery on Rye

Just a quick update on what I'm doing. I've been asked to write another Valentine's story (Escaflowne, of course) in celebration for the holiday of love. Personally, I've got absolutely no one to celebrate it with this year, so I'll have to share it with my only true love - Word Document. It truly understands me...

That being said, I'm putting this aside only for a week to finish my little Valentine's fic and then I'm picking this monster right back up because it's flipping getting to the reeeaaallly good parts! Ahh... I want to keep writing this so bad. I would have had this chapter done earlier if not for a most handsome man who has started working right across the desk from mine. Talk about some goooood distractions. Seriously. This guy is really cute.

Again, if you see any mistakes in this, please let me know. Don't have a beta reader and my computer at work is a piece of crap (would have had this posted earlier, but noooo... stupid computer had to be a jerk and completely knock itself off the internet).

Anyways, I'll say more later after the chapter. Go forth, my reading companions!

* * *

After watching Goau's form disappear slowly in the distance, it had taken Varie at least thirty minutes to regain her composure. She had sat in the car listening to the rumble of the idle engine until all her tears finally dried. Looking at herself in the mirror, she sighed through a blocked nose. She had to clear up. The kids needed a strong, happy mother who wasn't worried about the future. She was a grown up and that meant she needed to have everything under control. Goau had said he was coming back, so in their innocent minds he would return. But Varie understood what his leaving had meant.

There was a high probability they'd never see him again.

She'd shaken her head in frustration and began to reverse in the car. She still loved the idiot no matter how many times she told herself he was worthless. Those three years they were separated she'd almost convinced herself she didn't care about him.

Then he shows up and screws with her heart once more.

And now she knew would always love him. Being with him at the log cabin not only awakened her longing for his presence, but reaffirmed exactly how much she'd missed him. The familiar smell of his skin – occasionally overpowered by burn ointment. The way he tried to make light in almost every dark situation. Even the way he narrowed his dark eyes when he was thinking deeply. She found herself sitting and watching him when he wasn't looking. Or maybe he _did_ know she was looking. He sure did _kiss_ her like he knew. Of course, that had been mostly initiated by her, but still, he'd kissed her back with as much longing - as much passion - as she felt inside.

The goodbye kiss had left her breathless and wanting more.

And the idiot just walked away _again!_ Out of her life and back to his research. She should have made him stay. She should have found a way to guilt him into it. Now that he was gone, she was heartbroken all over again.

_Damn him! _

Sucking in her grief, she'd packed the cabin with much gusto; hardly giving herself breaks between carrying heavy luggage. Despite her son's complaints and Hitomi's curious expressions, she didn't rest until it was time to drive away from the cabin. The day was passing well into the afternoon when she finally stuffed them in the back seat and took her place behind the driver's wheel.

The wind whistled through the cracked windows of the car as she pulled onto the main highway. Varie shivered slightly, but still welcomed the outside chill. It was a long road to the next town. Checking her gas tank, she calculated she'd have enough for the next three and a half hours or so.

That was one good thing about her junk car – gas mileage.

Glancing in the rearview mirror at the two children sitting in the back seats of her car, she smiled to herself with false cheerfulness. Hitomi's green eyes solemnly followed the passing scenery outside. Van was staring at his lap looking a bit dejected. His expression was exactly how she felt on the inside.

"Cheer up, Van," The long-haired woman called to her son. "It's not going to be forever. We'll go to the cabin again someday."

"It won't be the same," he mumbled. "Dad won't be there."

"He decided to miss out on fun. That doesn't mean we have to."

"It won't be fun without him…"

The mother clicked her tongue. "You never know. Maybe he'll show up there again someday. This time he'll bring a radioactive puppy for us to take care of."

Hitomi blinked and started giggling. Varie noticed her son's alarmed look. He reached out with a hand and immediately touched her small arm. He didn't flinch, but it was evident the girl's power was stirred a little with the happiness.

"Can you feel it?" She heard him whisper to Hitomi. His hand lingered a bit on her arm.

"Yes, I can. I'm sorry." She whispered back. "I'll try to stop it."

"Just enough so you don't destroy the car," Varie announced smiling. "It's not bad to be happy, honey."

"But it will be bad if she causes us to be stranded on the side of the road." Van countered sourly.

"Van, if you can't say anything positive then keep it to yourself." She scolded. He ducked his black head bitterly and frowned.

"Mrs. Fanel?" Hitomi's small voice ran from the back seat.

"Call me Varie, honey."

The girl blushed sweetly. Van's mahogany eyes widened and he shook his head at the woman. "Stop making her happy, mom!"

"Why can't she be happy, Van? Today is the start of a new day. The three of us are a family now. Did you want something, Hitomi?"

The little girl nodded. "I just wanted to say that I think you should let the truck behind you pass."

Glancing at her rearview mirror again, she noticed a run down red pick-up truck gaining on her. She clicked on her turn signal and moved to the right side of the two lane highway. The truck sped past hulling a large, dirty white trailer behind it.

"Where _are_ we going anyways?" her son inquired.

She sighed. "Your father suggested heading south to the rural country. He said it would be easier to hide than the ci-"

"Mrs. Fanel, watch out!" Hitomi shrieked suddenly, her green eyes going illuminatingly wide. The pick-up had decided to swerve into her lane without checking to clear the trailer. Varie gasped and instinctively slammed on the brake. She heard the children scream behind her. It was too late.

_Crunch!_

A metallic scraping made her teeth grit with fright. Her entire body flung forward with the inertia and she felt her forehead hit the steering wheel painfully. Blackness encroached on her vision and she blinked ferociously. Pressing the brake more firmly, she breathed slowly to straighten her wavering surroundings and slowly pulled over to the side of the highway. It was several seconds before she could clear her frightened, scattering thoughts. Wincing at the throb above her eyebrow where she'd hit her head, she watched the pick-up pull over a handful of yards away.

A massive dent spread across the bottom part of the stained trailer. The right side of the double white doors of the trailer was swinging open on broken hinges. Varie vaguely made out the logo of a popular candy on several boxes stacked to the ceiling. Turning around swiftly, she gave a sigh in relief. Both children had put their seatbelts on before they'd left the cabin. Her son had taken his off and was sitting on his knees at Hitomi's side of the back seat. His arms were around the little girl. She was breathing heavily and he was muttering words of encouragement in her ear. She had her small arms tightly around his waist; her head resting against his thin chest.

"Both of you are okay?" Varie asked.

Van looked up from comforting the small girl and gasped. "Mom, your head is bleeding."

Bringing down the visor, she checked the mirror.

"I'm alright. It's only a scrape. How's Hitomi?"

"Calming down," He answered with a strained look on his face. It was obvious her power had flared quite a bit.

"You two wait here. I need to speak to the driver."

"Be careful, mom."

Varie nodded and opened the door. Slamming it shut, she walked to the front and winced at the damage on her front grill. The left headlight was completely knocked off its socket and was dangling by only a few cords. The car was already having engine issues. This on top of everything else?

The long-haired woman held back an irritated sigh. Shifting to face the truck's driver's side, she watched the door slowly open and an older man climb out. He was tall, thin, and lanky. His tan skin was the color of melted chocolate. He walked closer to Varie and she immediately noticed his long, strong fingers, which looked easy to wring around a woman's neck. She swallowed and tried to push down her growing nervousness. The man removed a ball cap from his head and threw the hat inside the truck bed. The sun glinted on his brown, bald scalp.

Plucking up her courage, she gave the man a meek shrug. "It looks like we've had a bit of an accident."

"Dis is true," the man smiled, his wide mouth making him look even more menacing. Now that his hat was gone she noticed his dark eyes were sunken slightly in his skull. "I belief dis es my fault. I dud not look at mey blind side. I apolugize, mudam, but yu seem to hafe been hurt." He had a strong Indian accent. She was startled by his obvious concern.

She found herself smiling and waving her hand. "I'll be fine. It looks worse than it really is." She gestured to the broken door on his trailer. "What should we do? You will lose all your supplies if you keep driving like that."

"I wull figure someting out. I belief I hafe mey tull bux in da truck bed." He frowned at the trailer like it was its fault. "Just between yu und me, mudam, I'd rather not hafe the polace involved."

Varie blinked. Feeling a shiver of fear run down her spine, she forced her voice to remain steady. "Why don't you want the police involved?" she asked her eyes slowly traveling to the candy boxes. The man followed her gaze.

Suddenly she heard a car door open behind her and Van call out.

"Hitomi! Get back here!"

Turning around, the long-haired woman and the stranger watched the little girl sprint around the car to where the man was standing. Varie opened her mouth to demand her to get back in the car. Then she stopped shocked as the girl gently grabbed the man's long fingers with both of her small hands and smiled brilliantly at him.

"Hello, mister!"

The man was obviously taken back. He and Varie just stared at her. Van stopped by his mother's side and narrowed his mahogany eyes in confusion.

"You're going to help us, right, mister? We can help you, too. We've got money!"

"Hitomi!" Varie shouted zipping her eyes from the little girl to the grown man in front of her. She felt her fear rise into panic. "Don't tell him that!" Turning to the tan man, she waved her hands in front of her. "We really-really don't have any money-I don't know what she's talking about-"

"But we do! In the briefcase!" she insisted. "Trust me, Varie! He's a good person!"

The short-haired girl let go of his hand and walked to the broken door of the trailer. Tapping on a dented box of candy with her palm, she grinned at the man. "There isn't any candy, is there?"

Varie shifted her astonished face back to the man. His small eyes looked even more shrunken. She watched his Adam's apple bob strangely as if he was having trouble swallowing. "Of curse, dare es only cundy in dar. What else wuld it be? Get away frum it!"

The green-eyed girl grabbed the box and groaned as she yanked it out of the trailer.

"Hitomi! What are you-"

"Don't du dat!"

The box's cardboard ripped slightly as it slammed into the concrete. It was just enough to see the black metallic nozzles of…

"Guns!" Varie squeaked. _Oh, God. We are dead. We are dead. We are all dead._

His body was tense, his concaved eyes unnaturally wide.

"How dud yu know?" he whispered. His voice was quiet, but the mother and two children could easily hear him over the loud traffic. "How dud yu know, liddle gurl? How culd yu possibly-"

"We need your help, mister. Would you happen to know where we could get different names?"

"Hitomi, that's enough!" Varie shouted. Reaching out, she grabbed the little girl by the arm. "You and Van need to get back into the car!"

"For the briefcase?" she asked innocently, her green eyes blinking up at the long-haired woman.

"No! No, we need to get out of here! Please," she looked at the stranger and gave a frighten chuckle mixed with hyperventilating breaths. "Please, let us go. We won't say anything, I swear. This was all just an accident, a misunderstanding." The tan man looked at her thoughtfully. "I'll give you money if you just let us go. Please, please, or you can take me. Just take me and leave the children!"

"Calm down, Varie," the small girl whispered looking worried more for her sanity than the situation. "You're hurting me a little."

"But… but the guns and-"

"Yu need differunt names? As un new idendities?" the man murmured with a strange smile slowly on his face. "And yu hafe munny in a briefcase? I guess yu don't want da polace tu show up either."

Varie stopped moving, her heart beat racing a mile a minute. She gasped for another breath and gave Hitomi a questioning looking. The little girl was beaming and nodding her head encouragingly.

"That – might be – a possibility…" she answered vaguely still trying to stop her panic attack.

"I dink I know just da man yu need."

There was silence between the two adults. Then Van spoke up.

"You do?"

The man's smile widened. It didn't look as menacing as it did before. He nodded at the boy. "My name es Plaktu. I wull take yu to Da Merchant."

* * *

Swinging around the curves of downtown city, the long-haired woman knew this was exactly the place she shouldn't have gone. Was she insane? Was this all part of some strange hallucination? Soon she'd wake up in her bed at the rent house and realize these past few days were just a dream. No one was hunting them. Goau was safely in his lab buried in his research. Van was awake and getting ready for school. Balgus was calling her and demanding rent money, but hinting that she could wait till next month. Everything was as it should be.

But nothing was as it should be. She followed the old, beat-up trailer as it made another right at a traffic light. The hanging back door had been patched with the tool kit that Plaktu had stashed in his pick-up. Frowning at her swinging headlight, he once again apologized for swerving in her lane. She had shaken her head and smiled at him. Just leading her to this Merchant was enough to make things square between them. She had sworn absolute secrecy to his 'supplies' and he willingly agreed to help her get inside to see The Merchant.

"If yu hafe da munny, he'll make miracles happen." He had said. "I'll explane huw tu git ur new idendities. It shuldn't be tu hurd."

"Where is he exactly?" she had asked watching him attempt to hammer the broken hinge back into place.

"He chandges his location edvery year, but he hus shops all arund da many cities. Lucky fur yu, he came back tu town recuntly. He duesn't usually take persunal requests, but," he glanced at Hitomi, who was listening to something Van was saying several yards away, "I tink he'll make un exceptiun fur her. "

"Why? What's up with Hitomi?"

The man had given his mysterious smile and went back to hammering. "Yu know as well as I du. She es a vury special gurl, yur daudter. I knew us soon us she touched mey. The Merchant will wund tu see her in persun."

"She's not my daughter." Varie had corrected with a slight blush. "But I will admit she is special. So, you know how to get us the fake papers."

He had nodded without looking at her. "I'll make sure yu cun repeaut it backwurds."

Varie sighed and turned on her signaler. The red pick-up maneuvered to the left hand lane and she followed making sure no one would get in-between them.

Night had fallen early, signaling the beginning of winter. The flashing signs and loud noises were enough to set her teeth on edge. Glancing in her rearview mirror, she saw Van's mahogany eyes zipping all over the window. Of course, he'd be excited. The boy had never been to the city before. Checking on Hitomi, she noticed the girl sitting happily on the seat.

_Well, if Hitomi's comfortable, obviously this is the right thing to do._ Varie thought in attempt to calm her nerves. _She knew that he didn't have candy in the boxes. And despite the guns, she knew he would help us get new identities. She also sensed he was a good person when all I saw was danger. _Her forehead crinkled. _She told me to get over, too! She told me to let him pass! Did she know that he would swerve into my lane? That I'd hit him in the back of his trailer? Did she see this all before it even happened? It's the same with Van at the lake! She knew he would drown. Van told her to leave and she ran and got me. She was trying to save his life even before he made the mistake of getting into that boat. _

Flicking her mahogany eyes once again at the content girl, she tried swallowed down her increasing curiosity. _Who is this girl? Did the Energist make her this way? Goau mentioned her mother was a bit of a fortune-teller. But something like saving Van and running into Plaktu… this is unnatural._

Her mind switched to reality as she followed the red-pickup into a small parking lot. A rundown café stood about fifteen yards from the lot and had only three cars parked around it. She furrowed her eyebrows at the title of the restaurant: The Kissing Mermaid. She heard her stomach growl at the posters of sandwiches on the dark tinted windows. If this turned out to be only a restaurant, she decided then and there she'd order the ham and cheese.

"This is it?" She asked out loud.

"If Plaktu says it is." Hitomi answered making the woman jump. She hadn't expected the girl to answer.

She did as Plaktu had told her and parked in front of the shady café. She watched as the red pick-up swerved around the parking lot to the back side of the building. Despite her ever-increasing nerves, she smiled at the obviousness of it all. If someone truly cared, they could easily figure out all that candy couldn't possibly be for a sandwich shop. The Merchant should invest in boxes with a famous deli meat for the logo.

Getting out of the car, she worked her way to the back of the vehicle staring the building up and down with distaste. The peeling paint combined with the flashy, half-lit, florescent mermaid sign added certain silly shabbiness to the place. She wondered vaguely – notwithstanding the appetizing pictures on the windows - if anyone ever came in to actually eat.

Pulling up the trunk of her car, she dug till she found the briefcase. Slamming it shut, she swallowed and took Van's hand with her free one. He turned and grabbed Hitomi's.

Together, hand-in-hand the three of them walked into the little restaurant to meet The Merchant.

* * *

"You think _this_ is acceptable?" the gravely voice of Dornkirk sounded from a chair in the corner. On the large televisions in front of the leather recliner were flashes of burning cars and scrambling bodies. Gray stood silent. "Do you actually think I'd let you continue the hunt with this kind of collateral damage on your head?"

"I never did-"

"You never did what? You _were there, Gray. _You _had_ him in your sights. And you let this happen. They are saying that a gunman was seen."

The only noise that followed was a groan from the old man as he stood slowly from his seat.

"I'm removing you from Fanel's case. Your judgments are unpredictable just like Dilandau's. I should terminate both you and Dilandau for this embarrassment."

"I swear it won't happen again. If I had Dilandau's sharp shooter abilities then I would have-"

"But you didn't." Dornkirk said quietly. Standing, he was shorter than Gray only by a few inches, yet somehow the old man made the spy feel like he was two feet tall. "You didn't think. You didn't act like you usually do. What is wrong with you, Gray? You are my best."

"I got irrational once I spotted my target."

The old man frowned. Gray knew immediately that was the worst thing to say. Ever.

"Those are dangerous words, Gray. You didn't go through the training. I trusted your stoic mind to constantly remain calm and collected, but you broke that. You acted out. And look what it bought us." He gestured a withered hand to the bright television behind him. "They are saying fifty-seven deaths. Fifty-seven innocent people because of you got 'irrational'. You knew Fanel had the fossil. You knew he was desperate and might resort to violence. Look what happened. Look at that television."

The older man never shouted. Never once raised his voice. But all at once, Gray knew he was treading on fragile glass. Both with being 'terminated' by the company and Dornkirk figuring out his real identity.

"I beg you give me another chance." Gray said quietly not even fluttering an eyelid. Dornkirk walked slowly towards the young man; his long white beard swaying back and forth. He stood staring, soaking his fierce, wrinkled gray eyes into smooth mahogany. Their faces only inches apart.

"No. I will send someone else. You will be reassigned to another mission until you can be trusted again, Gray. All of your information, computers, spy-ware will be given to your replacement."

The silver-headed man allowed himself to exhale slowly in attempt to quail his rising fury.

"Do you mind me asking who the one is replacing me?" he said slowly, fighting the urge to grit his teeth.

The right corner of Dornkirk's mouth slowly went up. Turning away, he strolled slowly to his chair and sat down once more. The leather squeaked under him.

"His name is Green Smile. Make sure to take good care of your stuff for him."

* * *

The door had a bell which clanged loudly as soon as she disturbed the door. Varie grimaced at the noise and pushed her way inside. The front was boxed in and empty except for an old, stained wooden desk with a welcome sign on the front. There were two doors – one on Varie's right and the other behind the desk with a crooked "Employees Only" sign taped on the front. The long-haired woman suddenly took back her wish for a ham and cheese sandwich from this place. She didn't need indigestion on top of her already piling nerves.

An older blond woman sat behind the desk with her cheek in her palm. She didn't even look Varie's way as the loud bell resounded through the entire building. She was dressed in a tacky beach shirt that made her look like she was in a bikini. She had an odd-looking microphone headset strapped around the back of her head and plugged in one ear. Varie walked closer to her and read her name tag.

"Hello, er, Eris," she said in her friendliest voice. She almost cringed at the fakeness in her tone. The woman slowly peeled her blue eyes from the equally peeling wall and focused on Varie's face.

"Hey, woman. Kids ain't allowed in The Mermaid." The receptionist's voice was completely monotone. Even her blinking was boring.

"I think you'll make an exception for them." She smiled brightly. Taking up the briefcase, Varie opened the latches with an easily click and withdrew one wad of rubber banded money. Expecting to see surprise from on the woman's face, she was disappointed when Eris' blank expression hardly moved. She withdrew twelve bills – the exact amount that Plaktu had told her – and laid it on the counter.

"I'll have three mystery subs on rye, please."

That woke the woman up. Eris's blank blue eyes cleared as she slowly rolled her piercing stare over all three of them. Varie glanced down at Van and they exchanged a worried look. After about a minute, she reached to her headset and said, "Three mystery subs on rye."

No sooner did she speak the words then the door behind her burst open and a tiny man ran out. His nose was the first thing Varie noticed. It was severely pointed. _A rat_, was the immediate description she gave the man. He was barely taller than Van with a balding head and a stringy mustache that needed to be trimmed. He was panting and sweating as if he'd run all the way there from across the street.

Slipping out six more bills, the mother boldly walked towards the newcomer just as Plaktu told her to do. Holding out the money with confidence she didn't feel, she said lowly, "I want extra cheese on all three." The man gave a strange, nervous squeak and Eris rolled her big blue eyes in annoyance. He took the money from her with a trembling hand. She acted like she knew what she was talking about, but inside she wondered what was so threatening about 'extra cheese'?

"You heard her, Eris," the man's voice was nasally. He tried and failed miserably to look authoritative while gesturing to the receptionist. "Extra cheese for the lady."

"Extra cheese on all three," Eris repeated in her headset, looking vastly annoyed. The rat man continued to stare at the blond woman with expectant eyes. Varie followed his gaze and watched her as well. Eris scowled at all four of them in turn, obviously not enjoying being the center of attention.

After about two minutes, she pressed her hand against her headset obviously listening to someone speaking. She nodded once and whispered, "I know, I know, but she just _paid_ for extra." Tilting her head with an air of snobbery, she tossed her blond hair over one shoulder. "That's what I said, Mei-" She paused and rolled her eyes. "I mean, _Merchant_." Several more seconds. "How would I know she knew to say that? I _didn't_ put it on the restaurant website this time, so don't you dare blame this one on _me_!" She scoffed. "Why don't you yell at that little pip-squeak of an assistant? He's the one that took her money!"

The rat man gave a quiet yelp and shook his head vehemently at Eris. She ignored him. "Yeah, I know that." Suddenly she glanced at Varie and looked her up and down. "She's tall, long hair…" She scowled. "So, what if she sounds hot! Are you going to make her sandwiches?" Several more seconds. "She's not hot at all! Get over yourself, Meiden!"

The long-haired woman felt the urge to back away from the desk as Eris' glare turned menacing. "I don't care what you think! She _said_ 'mystery subs'! What else is that supposed to mean?" Even more seconds passed. "Stop complaining, you bastard! Who cares if you are playing both fields! You should be used to that by now!" Varie's eyes went wide. She wondered if she should cover Van and Hitomi's ears. "I knew you were with her the entire time and I _wanted _you to come to your _senses_, but you _never did_!"

"Eris…" the rat man muttered shakily. Varie watched him cower as the woman almost snarled at him. "The customer…"

"You going to make her sandwiches or not?" Eris demanded over the headset. She gave a long irritated sigh through her nose. "He says your sandwiches will be made as soon as you check in," she reported, her mouth falling into a tight line.

"Checking in, it is!" the little man chirped obviously extremely relieved to be leaving Eris' company. He quickly opened the 'Employees Only' door behind him. "This way, please." Entering through the door, Varie could still hear the woman yelling. She and the kids followed the little man down a long flight of stairs.

"Please, excuse our discourteous receptionist, madam. She just started here ten years ago."

Varie nodded pretending that ten years was a very good excuse for rude behavior. She continued down the steps till they leveled out into a long hallway filled with doors. Several of the florescent lights lining the ceiling flickered with a loud buzzing noise.

"On the left, we have our BLT, Meatball sub, and Cold Cuts." She didn't like the way his eye twinkled slightly on the word 'cut'. "On the right, are Veggie Lovers, Panini, Flatbreads, and Mystery on Rye." He led the way to a door marked 'Mystery' and knocked.

"What do you want?" A cracking muffled voice called from inside.

"I've got an order for three Mysteries on Rye."

"Seriously? Ugggghhhhhh…"

The rat man squeaked and knocked again. "She's already paid."

"SHE!?" The door burst open and Varie gave a gasp in surprise. A teenage boy – probably no older than Folken – stood at the doorway. His squinting brown eyes scanning her up and down through thin framed glasses. His long curling brown hair framed his thin face. He gave her a calm lopsided smile, leaned against the doorway like a model, and a nodded his head in approval. Then his face fell as he spied Van and Hitomi behind her.

"Aw, man. She has kids?"

"That's why I said _three_." The little man emphasized.

"Eris talked to dad?"

"She's been approved, Dryden. Do you need him for this?"

The boy named Dryden traveled his eyes from its current journey over Varie's body to the children beside her. His face quickly flashed with recognition as they landed on Hitomi. Stepping out of the doorway, he walked closer to the little girl. Van immediately slid in front of her to blocking his path and glared at him.

He smiled brightly at the black-headed boy and reached out to ruffle his hair. Pressing himself even further to Hitomi, Van hit the extended hand away.

"Van," Varie scolded quietly. Her son frowned up at her and instantly glanced back at the green-eyed girl. She gave him a small smile and gently touched his hand. He looked at her fingers, nodded to her slowly and stepped aside. The mother took that as a nonverbal sign showing to him her power hadn't flared and she wasn't frightened. She instantly regretted her harsh tone. He was protecting Hitomi. She should be proud of her son for being brave.

The young man stepped up and knelt to the short-haired girl. She kept smiling, staring straight into his eyes. The lenses on his glasses flashed with the florescent lighting "We've got some interesting customers here. I don't think he'd want to waste time with Eris when he could be talking with these two beautiful ladies and fine gentleman."

Van growled and Varie put her hand on his shoulder.

"May we see The Merchant?" she asked quietly. Dryden kept his eyes on Hitomi. The buzzing sound of the florescent lights began to grow a little stronger and brighter all around them. Slowly, the brown-headed boy reached out and touched her arm. He gave an odd gasp and quickly let her go. The little girl's smile widened even more. Varie couldn't help but wonder what that smile meant. It wasn't a smile a child should make.

"My lady, you are well on your way to getting a _good_ sandwich," he shot her seductive grin before standing up and making his way into the office.

The rat man murmured something like, "You are your father's son, all right," and cleared his throat.

"Go get my father," Dryden said pointedly at the man. He squeaked and ran to the door called Meatball subs.

The young man turned and gestured a hand inside the door.

"Come on in. We'll get you all set up."

* * *

**I forgot how much I love playing with characters.**

Seriously, I can't help but make them so weird sometimes! I actually laughed as I typed the part with Eris. I couldn't help it! I didn't even originally plan for her rant. It all just sort of came spewing out of my fingertips and the next thing I knew, she had character development and hinted romance. Curse me and my over-active imagination.

Annnyways, if you didn't read up there, I'll say it again. I'm working on a Valentine's fic. It'll be a one-shot, so don't expect more chapters from it. I will also work hard on the next chapter for this and hopefully get that done next weekend.

Have a glittery weekend filled with sparkles and magical pink butterflies!  
Or just a regular weekend. Either one is fine.

blue...


	9. The Nightmares Begin

I feel like I say this every single time I post something, but I seriously had so much fun with this chapter. I love this! I would have had this ready sooner, but I had an insane weekend and couldn't hardly reach for my computer. But it's here now! :) Once again, it's shorter than I usually go for, but I find that shorter chapters are easier to handle. I'm not scrolling through twenty-seven pages of writing trying to fix all my mistakes. It's a relief to edit as well as to write.

Once again if you see any mistakes, please let me know. No Beta Reader means even more mistakes I don't catch. A particular annoying problem is using the same word in the same sentence or in the sentence right before it. Ugh, I absolutely hate it when I do that.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy several more introductions into characters. Especially one you might recognize...

* * *

**Six Months Later**

_The wind felt dry on his face. He squinted through the light brown miasma. There it was again. The cave in the mountainside. Stumbling slightly on a stone, he felt his muscles cry out in exhaustion. And yet he kept going. Every step taking him closer to where his answers lie. The strange hum that had began to resonate from the back pack on his shoulders grew louder in his ears._

_He instantly knew it was from the Energist. _

_It understood where it was- _

_It was going home… _

Goau jerked awake from his troubled dreams as the large eighteen-wheeler began to decrease its speed with a loud screech of tire against pavement. Rubbing his tired dark eyes with two tan fingers, he groaned at the crick in his neck. He'd fallen asleep with his head against the straight back headrest. The seat was lumpy and rocked on unsteady springs. He had been lucky to hitch a ride. He counted this moment of reprieve as a great blessing.

At first, Goau had been apprehensive to the back streets of the cities. Filled with the most dejected members society had to offer, he soon realized they were too caught up in their own miseries to try anything with him. Judging from their deterioration, he probably could take them if they did try to attack him. Traveling from city to city, living under bridges, park benches, and occasionally up in trees, Goau soon looked like one of them anyway. He wore the clothes on his back until they practically fell in tatters on his body. He hadn't shaved since four months ago. His hair was a complete rat's nest. The holes in his shoes were growing holes.

Hitch hiking wasn't the safest way to travel in this world, but it sure beat the ripping blisters on his heels and toes.

The large man beside him sighed and pulled the huge truck further off the road. The vehicle bounced on the rocky surface before coming to an angled stop on the right shoulder of the highway. A thick finger punched the overhead compartment and Boris pulled out three candy bars. He handed all three to Goau, who looked at him in surprise.

"You look dead on your feet, son. You should take better care of yourself."

With a grateful smile, the black-haired man slipped two of the bars into the backpack at his feet. He opened the third and tore it in half. Handing the bigger man a piece, he took a huge bite and his almost groaned with delight.

"Thanks."

"May not be low in calories, but it sure makes my big stomach happy," The driver smiled and took a big bite of his own candy. Over chewing chocolate, he said, "This here's Cornwall. I told you it wasn't much of a looker, but if this is where you're headed..."

"Yeah," the black-haired man finished his candy as he looped the shoulder strap over his arm. "This is perfect. I appreciate the lift, Boris. Not many would give a ride to someone like me."

The old man roared with laughter, his white beard bouncing slightly on his chest. "You think you can scare me? You're a twig of a man! Besides," he shook his head still chuckling, "I could tell you were different. You might look like one of them run-o-the-mill hobos, but you got a spark in your eye that I saw from a mile away. The late wife always said it was a sign that destiny was guiding them. Of course, she wasn't the best fortune-teller in the world."

"Your wife is a fortune-teller?" the younger man asked with surprise.

"_Was_," Boris answered smiling absentmindedly. "She probably wouldn't have liked me giving you a ride anyways. When was the last time you had a proper bath, son?"

Goau grinned sheepishly and ran his fingers through his dirty locks. "Umm… three Wednesdays ago?"

"That explains a lot." Boris laughed.

Glancing out the dust-covered window to his right, his dark eyes flicked over the weather-beaten settlement that stood in the bleak hazy background. A florescent sign with the word _EAT_ blinked in and out over a dark decrepit building. There were several cars parked in its potholed parking lot. An old auto shop was behind it with spare parts littering the dead grass. The garage to the shop was open and a small light was coming out. Another mysterious building with several wooden doors on the outside – which Goau guessed was a motel – followed after that. Only four dated cars were parked around it. The black-haired man frowned as he glanced at the next visible structure. It was a barb wired fenced two-story building. The building didn't seem as rundown as the rest of the town. He wondered briefly why barbed wire would be necessary for such a small, empty place.

"I could stay at that motel before continuing on. Is there a convenience store here?"

Boris chucked. "I bet you can get what you need at _EAT_, but I wouldn't take my word for it. I've only driven past this dump. It's not even a settlement now, I'd say. More like a ghost town."

Fanel put his hand on the door handle and felt a rough pat on his shoulder. Boris had lost the cheerful look. His expression had been replaced with a tense, foreboding stare.

"Whatever has dragged you out in this dust bowl, it better be worth it. Only dangerous people exist outside from the cities. And we all know the cities ain't the best in the world anyway. The answers you are trying to find should be a different road. You are too nice to stop here."

Goau swallowed and glanced down at his backpack where the Energist was hidden.

"I appreciate the warning, Boris, but this is the road I have to travel on. It's not in Cornwall, but much further past it. This is just my first stop."

"To the desert?" The old man's white eyebrows went up.

"Further than that even." Goau admitted.

Boris reached forward and pressed a small button on the back of his large steering wheel. Another compartment popped open from under his trucker's radio. Goau was beginning to wonder if the man had his entire life stashed in all these hidey-holes. He reached in with thick fingers and grabbed an extremely worn leather wallet. Opening it, he fished out several hundreds from the inside pocket.

"Then at least take some money. Something to rent a car to help you get wherever you are going. I bet that auto shop has something available."

The dark-eyed man smiled and shook his head at the generosity. "I have plenty of money with me. That is very kind of you though."

"Why do you look like _that_ if you've got money?"

"I've got to use it sparingly." _They may track the serial number. _Goau added in his head.

Boris sighed. "Well, if you don't want my money or my warnings, take a piece of my advice. Don't stay here any longer than you need to. Get the hell out of this place as fast as you can. Don't even try the motel. Get your supplies, a car, and _drive_."

"I'll do just that." Goau gave the older man a small smile and a nod. "I appreciate all the kindness you've shown to me."

"Friends come in all shapes and sizes." Boris looked regretful, but he gave the black-haired man a small wink. "Maybe we'll run into each other again."

"I hope it's not literally." Goau joked opening the squeaking door. He heard Boris bark a laugh.

"Literally… ha, ha, ha… running into you with my truck… I get it…"

Sliding out of the tall eighteen-wheeler, he reached in and took the ragged sleeping bag that had served as his resting place for half a year. Stepping out into the open air, he was surprised at the chilly wind that blew straight through his ragged clothes. Winter was definitely on its way. He walked further from the eighteen-wheeler and gave Boris a wave of his hand. The truck honked in reply before pulling out onto the road once more.

Turning around, Fanel let the site of Cornwall wash over him. He could see why it might have been called "Cornwall" back in the day. Dead blank fields of nothing grew for miles and miles around the town. He could just picture the walls of corn that probably stood there several decades ago. It was very depressing to see so much emptiness. Glancing out beyond the flat plains, Goau sighed. He still had a long way to go before he hit the original dig site for the fossil. This was sadly his last stop before his longest walk yet. Beyond the empty fields to the northeast– according to his map – it was pure flat-lands that were slowly turning into desert wastelands. The mountains began after two-hundred seventy miles of nothing. He'd probably save his life renting a vehicle for the journey. The only road was out of Cornwall - a tiny FM two lane – which was practically a straight shot to the mountains.

And somewhere beyond those mountains was where the excavation site was.

Slowly, with heavy steps, he made his way over to _EAT_ and noticed laughter was coming from inside. The windows of the place were dirty and coated with the corpses of dead bugs. He swallowed and pushed open the screen door.

The smell of cigarettes brushed over his face and he resisted the urge to cough. He walked into a large, dark room. Dirty lanterns hung from the ceiling with various cracked shades of stained glass. None of them matched. Numerous, small round tables filled the floor and made Goau have a claustrophobic feeling. A long wooden counter lined the back wall with stools of different shapes and sizes pulled up to it. Bottles of hard liquor stood on unsteady shelves. A group of six people sat in the corner, smoking and laughing vociferously. There were two women and three men crowded around one bright person, who apparently just said the punch line of a joke. The bartender behind the counter sat like a slug in front of a small, fuzzy television in the corner. His shirt was stained with mysterious brown smears. Goau breathed in the smoky air and decided to take Boris' advice seriously.

Walking past the loud table, he approached the bartender with a strained smile. The man didn't look up from the static.

"What food do you serve here?" he asked pleasantly.

"Ta cook's out sick wit ta flu." The man responded automatically.

"You must serve something when the cook is gone."

"I got beer and whiskey and rum and brandy. All outta vodka and scotch."

Now Goau understood why the people in the corner were so giggly.

Dropping his backpack and sleeping roll on the chair next to him, he unzipped the pack, thumbed through the wad of bills inside, and placed a crisp hundred on the counter.

"I would appreciate if you could find food for me somewhere. Either that or change the name of your establishment. Also," he laid another hundred on the counter, "when you happen to find the food, if you could be so kind as to pack several bundles of it for me. I have a long way to go."

The dirty man swallowed as his eyes stared at the money on the counter. Without a word, he grabbed the bills, stuffed it in the front pocket of his jeans and left through a swinging door in the corner. With a sigh, the black-haired man tried to smother his nervousness. Using the money always made him fearful the killers would be able to trace where he was going. He tried to tell himself it was silly that they'd find him through paper money, but…

_They'd found me at the park._ He reminded himself. _They could be anywhere. Even here…_

"Hey!" a loud voice called behind him. Fanel turned quickly and saw the entire group in the corner staring in his direction. He glanced behind thinking maybe the bartender had returned. He had not.

"Come over here and join us, stranger." A young man shouted with his arm around a heavily made-up woman. He was dressed in a strange green suit that didn't match. His dark hair in the low lighted room looked almost navy in color. It fell in waves over his charming dark eyes. The smile he shot Goau made him feel like rejecting this boy would crush his young heart.

His charisma practically lit up that entire corner.

"I'm alright over here." Goau answered. "I'm sorry, but I'm not staying very long. The bartender's left to get some food together and then I'll be on my way."

The stranger's smile fell a little and the black-haired man could feel his disappointment like electric waves. He lifted his green arm off the woman and she gave him a pouting look. "It'll be a long wait if he's trying to find you food. We got plenty to munch on right here." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her and she giggled. The other people around him laughed. Goau turned back around and shook his head.

"Come on, now. What's one drink?"

"He's got some dirty clothes on, Gad. I think you should leave him alone," one of the men in his group laughed. "He seems a bit shady."

"We enjoy the shadier side of life though!" The boy named Gad announced and everyone cheered. "Hold my coat for me, will you? I might feel charitable and give it to him later."

Fanel kept his back to the group. He didn't sense the green boy come up behind him until a warm hand fell on his shoulder. Goau insides immediately went cold. The boy placed his clinking, tall, iced drink on the bar in front of him.

"Now, friend, it'd be very nice if you could join us." The boy muttered in a sing-song voice. Fanel shifted his eyes to Gad's face. His intoxicating smile was frozen in place. It dimpled in his cheeks a little. On closer inspection, the boy looked to be only in his early twenties. His youthful eyes sparkled with good humor.

"Why?" The black-haired man asked in a low voice. He tried to stifle his panicking heartbeats and keep his eyes away from the backpack.

"Seem like you've had a tough journey recently. A bit of good company does a wonder for the soul."

"Gad!" The woman called with a giggle. "Does he smell?"

"Like a rotting corpse." Gad answered and the table burst out laughing. Goau felt his instincts crying for him to get away. The boy's hand still held on his shoulder leisurely. "What do you say, friend? I came all the way over here."

"No, thanks," Goau said turning away. "I just want to wait for my food."

"He's making me insist, guys!" Gad shouted back at the table. He laughed. "Man, I hate that!"

The sound was so unexpected; the black-haired man hardly had time to react. The blast of bullets leaving the gun pierced with ricocheting thunder. He had no idea who was shooting until it was over. Everything told him to duck under the table, but the boy's hand on his shoulder had grown ferociously strong. Whipping his dark eyes to the corner, Fanel saw through the smoky air dead bodies of the boy's friends slumped over their chairs and tables. The boy smiled brightly down at him, his face dimpling sweetly. He slipped the gun smoothly against Goau's ribs.

"Oops," he said easily. "Guess I got a bit carried away there."

The kitchen door burst open behind the bar and the dirty bartender marched out with a shot-gun. The older man had a bullet in his head before he even pulled the trigger. His body jerked once and fell back through the swinging door. The shotgun clacked on the floor outside the door. Goau kept his eyes away from it. He felt the nozzle of the boy's gun press against his side once more. It was an old fashioned revolver with a fancy curved handle.

"Now that was uncalled for." Gad clicked his tongue as if scolding the dead man. "You would have lived if you'd just stayed in that pantry, old man. Oh course, I'd probably have killed him anyway. He made horrible long island ice teas. Now, where was I?" he looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, yes. I was courteously inviting you to sit with me and my new friends, but…" he gave their twisted bodies a good-natured sigh. "I seem to have run out of friends."

"What do you want?" Goau's throat was so tight with fear that his voice came out as a squeak. "I didn't do anything." _How many bullets does he have left?_ He thought frantically. _He shot all the people in the corner so that's five down. And then the bartender makes six. Isn't there only six in one magazine? Or is that only for pistols? Or is it revolvers? What kind of gun is this? Should I take a chance?_

"On the contrary, my professed angel, you've done quite a bit. Especially these past few years with that little Energist of yours. Tell me, why are you headed to the excavation site? I'm quite curious."

"How-how…" Goau's brain could hardly function. They knew he was going to the site. They knew he'd stop here. They knew his entire plan. His heart beat so fast it felt like it would pop in his chest. _Does that mean they also know about Hitomi? _A burn began behind his eyes. He closed them to push his tears away.

_Varie…_

The boy misinterpreted his expression. "You're shocked at seeing me. I expected you would come to the last resting stop before braving the desert terrain. Pretty smart, huh?" The young man chuckled lightly. "Read you like a children's book, didn't I? There are some things that are just too easy to figure out. I graduated top of my field in tracking. I didn't even need to use it, too! All that training and you walked right into my hands. And it was about time you showed up!" he grinned and it dimpled his cheeks. "I've been waiting for you for months now. That motel is quite the cozy getaway. So, tell me, friend. Where's the Energist?"

Goau remained quiet. His dark eyes opened and focused on the boy's drink in front of him. _A distraction. I need a distraction._ His heart raced in his chest. His palms were wet with nervous fear.

"You don't talk much, do you? I guess you are one of those that need to see a treat before you bark." He pushed the gun further. The black-haired man winced with pain.

"If you don't bark…"

_Three…_

"…I'll make sure you…"

_Two…_

"… get plenty of treats…"

_One…_

Goau leaned forward to grab for the drink as the boy pulled on his shoulder with a firm grip to drag him off the stool. His arm reached the glass, but his sweaty fingers missed. He knocked the drink over and it tumbled off the bar. Falling backwards, the dark-haired man landed with a rough thud on his back. The breath knocked out of him and he was vaguely aware of the boy jumping onto his stomach, pinning his legs down with his calves. The glass shattered noisily on the floor.

The boy swiftly sat on Goau and smiled in his face. Fanel struggled to free his legs, but they were effectively locked together by the boy's unyielding leg grip. Cocking the revolver, the boy quickly aimed it at his forehead. Empty chamber or not, Goau wasn't one to test fate. He stopped fighting immediately and laid still. His hand brushed a large piece of glass.

"This is called The Leg Trap. It's quite effective. Took me about three hours to get it down perfectly. Most of the time it takes at least three weeks." Gad grinned and his face dimpled. A shiver of fear ran down Goau's spine at the boy's complete unfazed attitude. It was the same smile that he'd given his friends when he was joking in the corner… before he killed them all…

"Please," Goau groaned. His hand slowly moved closer to the glass. His fingertips touched the edge. "Please, I'll tell you what you want to know."

Gad laughed happily. "Started barking so soon? But I have barely showed you your treats! What an obedient dog, you are!"

The black-haired man grabbed for the glass and instantly sliced it deeply through the boy's silk shirt and under his upraised arm. Gad gasped in pain. The momentary distraction allowed Goau to raise the shard once more and jam it deeply into his green thigh. The boy dropped his weapon in surprise and pain. He hissed, his shaking hands instantly going to the wedged shard. Goau pushed himself out of the leg lock and backed away quickly. He grabbed for the revolver and pointed at the boy's chest.

The hollow click made him want to kick himself. _I'm such an idiot. I knew it was empty! _

"That was quick thinking..." the boy's voice was quiet. He was no longer smiling. The expression on his face was one of quiet contemplation. He tumbled to the floor and landed on his backside; his legs spread out on the floor. A dark green stain slowly gathered where the glass shard stuck out. "I didn't even think of the glass on the floor… details always choke me up… damn, this hurts… why won't it stop bleeding…?"

His young hand was clasped tightly around his upper arm. Indeed, the red blood under his arm practically squirted down his thin sleeve and pooled thickly on the floor. Gad's face was growing paler by the minute.

"Brachial artery," Goau panted. He put the gun down and watched the boy grimace with blood soaked fingers. "I was going for your hand with the gun, but this will do. You'll bleed to death soon."

The corners of Gad's lips lifted, but it was only a shadow of his former smile. "I guess this is the end. I can't move the arm for fear of increasing the blood flow and I'd hardly expect you to help me tie a tourniquet. You've got some major tricks up your sleeve. No wonder Crying Gray had such problems with you. Oh, well. I was out of bullets anyway. I guess they tend to make their weapons specialists too trigger happy. I'll probably get terminated for my failure anyway. The Corp's not likely to forgive me. That is if I live that long...pity. Oh the bright side, I'll see Hanne again… even if it is in hell…"

The black-haired man blinked in surprise. "Hanne? Uchida Hanne?"

The boy sighed and his smile widened. It was a very different smile from before. It was wishful. "That's the one. She was beautiful, wasn't she? I've always had a thing for red-heads."

"You _knew_ Uchida…" Goau was beyond thinking straight. His mind was whirling.

There was a moment of silence between them. Fanel and the boy stared at each other. His inner thoughts battled. He should let the boy die. But this could be a perfect opportunity to learn more about this corporation. The boy was obviously dangerous and lethal. If he saved his life, Gad would obviously turn and kill him. But the boy could be changed. Uchida ended up saving their lives by buying time for them. She sacrificed herself to protect them. Maybe this boy could break free from the shackles this _training _had put him through. And with the boy by his side, Goau could be more protected. He'd be able to figure out their plans, the reasons behind Operation RED, and how they keep finding him… he'd be ready to face them once that challenge came instead of heading blindly into the next awaited trap.

That is… if the boy could be changed. He was a killer and a good one at that.

_What do I do? _

"So, what happens now?" he asked.

The boy's smile widened. "I'm beaten. I'm smart enough to admit that. The glass was a really good move. I should have seen it coming. You did practically the exact same thing during Operation RED, right?"

Goau gasped. "You know about that?"

The boy shot him a look. "Seriously? You're that stupid? Dude, I thought you scientists were intelligent."

"How?"

Gad shook his head lazily. "Not telling…"

"If I help you, save you, what will happen?"

"I'll do my job." The boy answered with a regretful shrug. "I'd appreciate the help, but unfortunately we'd be in the same boat as before."

Fanel sighed. "What if… what if you didn't work for them anymore?"

He didn't expect Gad's burst of weak laughter. The boy slowly fell backwards against the side of the bar. "Stop it… stop it… you're making me bleed out faster… by laughing…"

"Uchida saved my life before she died."

All of Gad's laughter immediately stopped. He watched the boy swallow and struggle to open his dulling eyes. "It's too late anyway… I'm as good as dead. I'm tired… Just… let me sleep…"

The black-haired man dropped the gun and crawled to the boy. Grabbing him by the collar, he looked him square in the eye. Gad's pupils were dilaing slightly. "I'll ask you again. If I save your life right now, will you help me?"

His answer was left in the air as the boy passed out.

* * *

His mahogany eyes snapped open at the first sound of her cries.

"Hitomi," Van whispered under his breath and sat up from his bed. Shoving the covers away roughly, he leaped out and ran through the doorway of his room. His small feet pounded on the hard wood floors of his new home as he raced down the hallway to the little girl's room.

Opening the door, he gasped. She was shaking, gripping the covers with tense hands. She was gasping, as if there wasn't enough air in the world. He entered the room and felt the black hairs on his head stand up on end.

"Hitomi…" he called quietly. Walking closer to her, he could almost taste the electricity coming from her. "Hitomi, wake up."

She gave another sobbing cry. The young boy's heart wrenched. Closing the gap between himself and her bed, he closed his eyes against the waves of electric pulses that shot down his body.

"It doesn't hurt…" he whispered to no one in particular. "It's just scary…"

He reached out a tan hand and grasped her wrist. The amount of energy that was coursing through her was immense. She cried out again. He noticed there were tears coming down from her closed eyes.

"Hitomi," he whispered smoothly. He put a hand on her face and ignored the amazing jolt of shock that followed. "Calm down. I'm here. Wake up."

She relaxed slightly. Her grip on the blankets lessening somewhat.

"Wake up, Hitomi. Wake up."

She gave a deep breath and he felt her power swirl slower and slower through him.

"That's it…" he encouraged. "Just breathe. Wake up for me."

He heard her breath hitch and more tears came down from her face. She creaked her green eyes open and glanced around her empty room deliriously. "What…?" She whispered before noticing Van.

"You had a nightmare," he said quickly moving his hand from her soft face. "You woke me up."

"Oh," she murmured. She sat up in bed and sniffled. Wiping her face on her pajama sleeve, she inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry, Van."

The mahogany-eyed boy shrugged. "It's alright. My dream was boring anyways. Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah," she nodded. She touched her wet cheeks with her hands. "My face feels hot."

"Your power was going crazy. It's a good thing mom didn't put that lamp in here like she wanted to. I wonder if we even need to have electricity with you around. You can power all our lamps for us." He smiled at his joke. She giggled and sniffled again.

They were quiet for a moment. Van jumped up and perched on the side of her bed; his feet kicked against the box springs.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" He asked her. She sighed and shook her head.

"No. I don't remember too much of it anyways."

"I gotcha."

"Tomorrow is school for you."

Van nodded with a sour face. "I'd rather be homeschooled like you."

"Your mom said it was the safest way to go."

"She's your mom too now, _Helen_."

The little girl giggled. "And you are my brother, _Victor._"

"Ugh," Van groaned. "I hate that name. Stupid Merchant guy."

"I thought he was nice. He was very kind about my problem."

The black-haired boy frowned. "Problem?"

"Yeah, it's a problem, right? I cause so much trouble."

"But… but it's not a problem at all. You saved my life with it." The boy argued. He leaned closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's just something you've got to learn to control. Like a superhero or something."

She tilted her head in thought. "I've never thought of it like that. A superhero?"

"Yeah," Van smiled brightly. "You could be Electric-Girl or Shock-Woman or… or…"

"Static-Punch!" Hitomi shouted suddenly with excitement. Van froze at the jolt of electricity that raced through his body. He blinked his wavering vision and shook his head to clear his scrambled thoughts.

"Calm down. You just shocked me bad."

The girl looked horrified. "I'm sorry."

"Besides, Static-Punch isn't very superhero sounding. I'll help you think of one tomorrow after school, okay? I better get back to bed." As he slid off her mattress, he felt her small hand grab his arm. Turning around with a confused look, he met her bright green eyes.

"Would you mind staying here with me? I don't… I don't want to be alone in here. I don't think I can fall asleep."

Van sighed, but was trying to hide his smile.

"Scoot over," he motioned with a hand. "I'll fall out of the bed if you don't."

She smiled brilliantly and gave him some room.

The next morning, Varie found Van in Hitomi's room lying fast asleep in a very uncomfortable position on the floor.

He'd fallen out.

* * *

**Huzzah for more sub-characters! I love them! They are so much fun to play with! **

Thanks to all of you who read my Valentine's story: _A Simple Walk Home_. I got some really sweet comments on it. You guys are the best. Seriously. I try to respond to every review I get just because I'm so thankful you guys give the time to read my silly stories. It means so much! I have the best readers in the world! :)

I want to give a quick Happy Birthday to Nainari! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

If you liked the chapter, hated it, wish I'd never write anything ever again, or just plain wanna tell me "hi", scroll on down and give the story some hate or love. I don't mind either, but I really hope you liked it all the same. :)

And with that, I'll be heading off to get chapter 10 edited.

blue...


	10. Green Smile

I would have had this out so much earlier if the dad gum work computer wouldn't screw up by file! I was afraid that I'd have to type the entire thing on this Doc Manager. That would have been a nightmare. Word Document is a fickle princess, but this site's Doc Manager is one of those mules that loves to kick people unexpectedly. Oh the many times I've been kicked by it...

Well, I'll talk more later. Enjoy!

* * *

The air was at one moment a roasting heat and then a chilling freeze. Thoughts and feelings swirled in his head like gray fogs of mist, each one unreachable. He tried to stretch his arm out with desperate grasping fingers, but he couldn't move his body. He was stuck in the middle of a funnel; a whirlwind of long forgotten emotions. The spinning clouds that enveloped his mind rotated faster and faster around him. The wind on his face changed to a suffocating heat, scorching his entire body. He cried out from the fire. Instantly, a deep cold erupted in his very bones. An icy burn traveled through his limps, numbing them painfully. Meanwhile, the scenes of his past were unmentionable blobs of smeared color. He shivered through the accumulating sweat.

It was a nauseating dance. He struggled through the fire and the familiar scenes melted away. He wanted to reach out to them. His entire body froze as the cold came back, fierce and relentless.

The heat roared, the cold froze. And he was stuck.

_Hell_… a coherent thought breached his agony. _I'm in hell…_

"You're not in hell," A deep voice came from somewhere in the swirling clouds. A vision of a ragged man sitting at a bar emerged. Immediately the image disappeared as he fought to reach his trembling hand towards it. "You need to sleep. Try to calm down."

_But I'm so cold and the fire hurts. Why is this happening to me?_

"You've been suffering from a deep infection and an enormous amount of blood loss. I'd imagine it's the high fever your feeling. I'm surprised I was able to save you. Most injuries to major arteries mean death within minutes. I was worried you'd bled out too much. You've got a strong will to live."

_I don't want to live in this…_

The nausea gripped him and he gagged on the cold fire that raced through veins.

"Can you see where you are?" A cold, clammy something touched his forehead and he immediately flinched. "Your eyes are open."

_Clouds… swirling clouds with images…_

The voice sighed and the cold thing left his forehead. "I'll take that as a no. Is there anything you need? Water?"

He tried to feel his body's needs, but the fire was burning him again. He groaned with pain. The chill followed like before. An image of a young dark-haired woman flashed in his eyes and he gasped at her smiling face. Her cheeks dimpled.

_I don't know her… but then I do… Who is she...?_

Unthinkingly, he lifted his hand to reach for her and felt agony under the bottom part of his arm. Suddenly, a cold handcuff appeared on his wrist and held him from grabbing the vision. He fought against the restraint and cried out as more pain followed.

"You shouldn't move the arm!" The voice sounded alarmed.

_But… I haven't seen her in so long… _he answered instinctively.

But he didn't know her.

Didn't he?

Pulling on his mental chains, the woman faded slowly in the fog. His heart pounded. His head ached with fire once more.

_Mother! _The name tore itself out of his mouth. _Mother, please don't go!_

But just like the others, her image left him. He knew he was crying. He could feel the wet on his cheeks. Or maybe that was from his sweat. He was hot again. So miserably hot.

The cold clammy restraint left his wrist now that he was no longer struggling. He panted from the nausea. Another vision began to swirl in front of his eyes. Gasping, he knew her face even before he could fully focus on it. Her auburn hair mixed with the foggy clouds as if she was going to be blown away at any moment. In the image, she smiled at him like the old days before the Corp subjected her to the brainwash. She smiled like the old days they spent comforting and encouraging one another through the years of training.

_The talent runs in the family. _He whispered the last words she'd ever spoke to him. They had repeated in his dreams countless times before. _If I don't make it, they'll find her. They'll hunt her down and take her, too. _

"What are you talking about?" The voice was back.

_Hanne…_

He heard the voice give a long sad sigh. "What the hell did they do to you?"

The voice slowly disappeared from his consciousness as Hanne's image vanished in the clouds. The last words repeated dully in his brain.

What the hell did they do to you?...

What the hell did they do to you?...

What the hell did they do to you?...

_What did hell they do to me?_ He repeated numbly with the words. _What the hell did they do to me?_

Suddenly, he was tired of the swirling fog. He was tired of trying to reach for visions he couldn't grasp. He was tired of fighting against the unbeatable. Calming his mind, the heat rose and fell, leaving behind it a bone-chilling freeze. Though he shivered, his mind turned impassive to the scenes of familiar images that raced across his mind. For once, he didn't care about anything at all.

And finally, he sank into a deep, encompassing sleep.

* * *

Fanel sighed with exhaustion as he placed lukewarm soup on the bed beside the weak young man. Groaning and trembling with his mild fever and weak limbs, Gad attempted to push himself up and his head hit the dusty headboard with an ungraceful thud. His pale, bare chest heaved with his panting breaths at the exertion of moving his body. The tight white bandage holding the stitches on his arm hardly shifted as his biceps strained to push himself further up the bed. A deep bruise swelled the arm past the elbow. The mush-brown, canned substance slopped slightly over the sides of the Styrofoam bowl and splattered on the old, patched comforter. Tossing a plastic spoon on the boy's lap, Goau ran a hand through his messy black hair and folded himself into the wooden chair resting beside the mattress.

Gad grimaced in discomfort and lifted his hand to grab the spoon with shaking fingers. His sharp dark eyes were slightly sunken into his skull. The heavy bags under his eyes spelled how much the fever had taken its toll on him. He had lost a lot of weight in the weeks that had accompanied his slow recovery. A small black cord protruded against thin pale skin on his chest and traveled like a vein under his arm and around to his back. A small puffy scar lay right above his heart. It gave Goau the creeps just looking at it.

The boy was finally well enough to fairly coherent. Goau had been waiting for this moment.

"This is seriously all you could get?" He asked with a disdained look at the gooey mixture beside him. "I think a dog crapped in this."

Goau gave the green man a frustrated scowl. Taking off his weather-worn coat, he threw it on the broken television set sitting precariously on the bent dresser. The chair creaked as he leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees. "Complaining?"

"Look at this slop! It's all over my bed!"

"Be grateful for what you got."

"I'd rather have ate at _EAT._" The boy grumbled.

"Too many police."

"What's happening with the police?"

"They haven't decided to search the town thoroughly. They are still all over the store studying the murder scene _you_ created. I think they believe the killer ran off down the highway."

"Damn, I hope so. Being caught by the fuzz is _not_ on my to-do list. You'll protect me, right, angel?" Gad fluttered his eyelashes rapidly in a flirtatious manner. "You won't let those meanie cops get me?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Better decide. I'd be surprised if they didn't suspect you as the killer."

Goau frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You arrive in this hell hole and within the hour, six people are dead. The police have never been the smartest around, but seriously, you'd think they'd put two and two together by now."

"So, you're going to blame their deaths on me?"

"'I'm so grateful you brave policemen showed up,'" his expression turned pitifully frightened. "'I was scared. The days passed and he grew more vicious. I don't know why he spared me! He fed me regurgitated muck and forced me to tell him _personal_ secrets or he'd get _personal_ with me! Oh, why was I ever born!? My purity has been stolen from me!'" He gave out a pretend wail and then his face dimpled with a shadow of his good-natured smile. "Pretty good, huh? If you learn one thing from me it's always play the victim card. The cops lap it up like mocha latte. Especially if you're a chick. Sucks I didn't get that luxury."

"Your soup is getting cold."

Gad looked affronted. "Now this is just mean. I gave you a swell performance just now and you didn't even applaud. Rude."

Goau sighed. "If I had known you'd be insane, I'd have let you bleed to death."

"Just keep in mind, I never asked you to save my life. You're one of those 'too noble for your own good' kinda idiots. I can't believe you'd actually expect me to change just because you foolishly decided to keep me alive. I told you that nothing will stop me. Unless I'm dead or my limbs are sawed off, I'll still kill you. And even then – with limbs gone - I think I could smother you with my torso."

"You'd bleed out first," the black-haired man muttered.

Gad shrugged and winced with pain. "Well, it was going to happen to me anyways."

Goau leaned his lips on his laced fingers and stared straight into the boy's dark eyes. "Have you always been a killer?"

The injured boy wiggled his eyebrows. "Hell yeah, I've always been this way. I've always been this good-looking, too. Ladies love the dimples, see?" He smiled brightly and lifted his spoon to point at his cheek.

"I don't believe that. Your sleep-talking doesn't sound like it."

"You listened to my fever induced ramblings? I feel so violated!"

"And I don't believe you will."

"Will what?"

"Kill me."

"That's quite the confidence you have there." Gad reached for the small bowl and grunted with the weight of the spilling liquid. "Seriously, what did you do to me? I can't even lift this."

"I stabbed you twice with a glass shard." Goau answered lowly.

The boy's face gave another large dimpling smile and he chuckled. The motion spilled more soup on his chest. "Yeah, I guess you did. You should have been recruited for the Corps. You've got a good head for situational strategy."

"I'm going to destroy the Corp."

Soup sloshed out. The boy blinked. "Say what now? I thought I just heard you say something completely ridiculous, but you couldn't have said it because that is just crazy-"

"I'm going to destroy the Corp."

"There it is again…"

"You are going to help me do it."

Gad burst out laughing. More soup poured down his pale, thin stomach. "Ouch, it hurts to laugh... You can't… you can't be serious?"

"I'm dead serious."

Wincing in pain from his laughter, Gad put his spoon in the shaking liquid. "And how do you plan to do this, genius? There's no way you could even possibly… I mean just thinking about that is... This – this is probably the most idiotic thing I've ever heard anyone say! Taking out the Corp… That's never going to happen."

"It will happen. With your help."

"You need a good hard slap with reality, angel. Do I look like I know how take six sections of personal trained soldiers? I said I was going to kill you once I got better. You must be on something strong, and if so, can I have some?"

"If you don't tell me what I want then I'll make sure you never walk out of this room again. Besides, you won't kill me."

He put the spoon in his mouth and made a face. "There's that confidence again."

"I have a reason to be confident you won't."

"And why is that?" Gad spoke around his spoon. His face was good-natured like usual, but his eyes flashed with irritation. "Who do you think you are?"

Goau pressed his fingers under his stubbly chin. _Time for the demanding approach,_ he thought with a twist of dread in his stomach.

"I'm someone who needs to figure out how your Corp keeps finding me. I'm someone who has been hunted and almost killed countless times. I'm someone who has made a promise to return to the ones I love. And that means I'm desperate. I saved you to help me. You never said no when you were dying."

"I was also _dying._" The boy scoffed. "I didn't have much of a choice in the matter of yes and no."

"You know everything I need to know. And you will help me because I'll rip out your stitches one by one if you don't."

The spoon in Gad's mouth wiggled before he pulled it out. "Death threats are unbecoming on one so pure, angel."

"You know I will."

Gad snorted a laugh. "Of course, I know you will. You're honest to a fault. However, you just…" he seemed to search for the right words, "…aren't the killing type. You'd probably cry for my poor soul while you did it. See, that's the difference between you and me. You didn't just save me because you wanted information – although I'm sure that was a big part of it. No, you saved me because you would have killed me. I saw it in your eyes. You shot at me with an empty revolver, but a part of you was happy it was empty. You aren't the killing type, angel. Face it."

"Stop calling me that."

Gad scooped more soup and missed his mouth with his shaking fingers. It dribbled down his smooth chin. "Be happy I'm not calling you 'devil'."

"I just threatened to rip out your stitches and let you bleed to death. You have someone else in mind for that nickname?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Who?"

He wiped his chin with the back of his hand and groaned. Then his lips lifted on one side. "Someone you've met before, actually. He did a number on your lab researchers, if I recall."

"The kid…" Goau leaned back and let his arms fall on the rests. "That weird silver-haired kid I fought with, right?"

"His name is Dilandau," Gad's smile froze in place. It was a very disturbing expression.

"You know about that? You know about what he did to the lab?" Goau frowned and his stomach gave a sickening twist. "What can you tell me about him?"

The green boy's eyes widened. "Excuse me, Mr. Pushy. Did I say that I was joining you?"

Goau groaned on the inside. _So much for the demanding approach. Maybe the ultimatum approach…_

"Listen, Gad," the black-haired man kept his face serious. "Either way this turns out, I plan on walking out of here alive. I have survived too much to be done in like this. I've got a mission to complete. So, I'll give you three choices." He held up a tan hand and lifted one finger. "You'll go back to your Corp weak and barely alive and get terminated or executed or whatever they do to you because you failed to kill me." He put up two fingers. "I kill you here and now and leave your corpse for the cops to find." He put up the third finger. "You join me. You tell me everything your Corp knows about the Energist that I don't already know. I learn more about who it is that's hunting me. We destroy this Corp once and for all and we find a way to save others from a fate like Uchida."

The boy's expression was one of smug boredom until Goau mentioned Uchida's name. Suddenly, the color began to drain out of his face. The rings around his eyes grew deeper.

"Don't talk about her like you knew her." He commanded quietly.

"She saved my life and sacrificed herself to keep this 'devil' boy away." _So much for the ultimatum…_

"I said don't talk about her like you knew her!"

His good-humored twinkle that usually glinted in his dark eyes fizzled out. It was replaced with a spark of rage. The boy threw his soup on the ground. It splattered on the stained carpet and over Goau's old shoes. The black-haired man didn't move. He continued to sit and stare at the boy. _Uchida… maybe I can use her... Maybe this is a good sign that I'm making him remember her… _He studied Gad's fury and he knew exactly how to do it.

"I obviously didn't know her like you did, but I did _know _her, Gad. We hired her because she was so smart. She was able to fully comprehend the information Kanzaki and I discovered, gather test results that usually took days to figure out, and she was always right with her calculations. She was a brilliant addition to our research team. We probably wouldn't have gotten so far without her. But she was emotionless. Like an empty shell. She never laughed, never rejoiced in a successful test. Now that I think about it, I wonder how I didn't see it before. She was never really there. There was no humanity. It was as if her entire personality was sucked dry and she was a tool, a computer soaking in information. I only knew what her job application told me. She had no immediate family, a Masters in environmental science, radiological physiology, and chemical engineering. She was more than willing to move closer to the lab. She practically lived there the entire time she was employed by us."

Gad stared at him. His eyes were hard. Goau kept going.

"Then she came and tackled the boy – Dilandau – to the ground saving our lives. When she had him down, she turned and smiled at me. She died with that smile on her face. It was the very first time I'd seen her smile. And it was her last. It was one of freedom. She had broken through whatever had taken her emotion away and she was happy for it."

"I know… I know all of this…" Gad hissed, glaring at him. "I've seen the video."

Goau's eyebrows rose slightly at the mention of a video. _Were these bastards taping the entire thing?_ He exhaled to calm his own rising anger. He tucked the information away. Now wasn't the time for that conversation.

"And yet you still work for them. They did this to her and you still stay loyal."

Gad closed his eyes and leaned his wavy head against the headboard. "Why did she _have_ to be stationed at that lab? Why did she _have_ to snap out of the brainwash right in the middle of Operation RED? I don't understand why she would do that. She always told me that she'd live no matter what. And then she goes and offs herself with a smile." He rocked his head back and forth against the wood. "It's not fair. It's not fair. It's not fair."

Goau watched him closely. "What's not fair?"

The boy was speaking quietly now. "I wanted to see her smile again, too."

"I thought you saw it on a video."

"I did. But the smile wasn't for me. She'll never smile for _me_ again." Gad's voice was strained. The muscles and veins in his neck were flexed as if he was fighting against an unknown mental enemy. His cheeks flushed. His eyelids tightened. His hands clenched the stained bed sheets.

And then he broke. Tears slowly began to roll down the corners of his closed eyes. His expression changed to one of utter defeat. His fingers relaxed against the mattress. Goau wondered if the boy had fallen asleep.

"We met the first day of training." Gad whispered after a few minutes. "I liked her right from the start. It took a while, but I worked my way into being her support partner for the Sec training even though we were in different categories. The Corp didn't mind our relationship. They knew we'd forget about each other after the brainwash anyway. The day before her last Sec exam, she cried to me. She didn't want to forget her family, her memories… or me… but after she passed and was pronounced perfect, they washed her. And she forgot me. And she was placed into your lab as an infiltrator. I knew our relationship was over, but when I saw her expressionless face as she walked out the exit, I realized I didn't want to forget about her. I couldn't do that to my own memories, even if I was the only one who knew remembered what we had. I applied to be a Stratego to avoid the brainwash. I was barely accepted. My marks on Weapons were not the top, but I convinced them to take me into the program. Another guy passed through four Secs without training. All the attention was focused on him and how wonderful he'd was. I worked myself to near exhaustion to pass two more Secs. I qualified for Weapons, Tracking, Infiltration, and Technology. I taught her that Leg Trap and she ultimately saved you with it by trapping Dilandau." He gave a small bitter laugh through his tears. "I hate irony."

Goau was remained quiet. He hoped Gad wasn't done talking.

"Infiltration training was where I met Dilandau. Snaky little bastard. He's beyond crazy. Even crazier than you and you want to single-handedly destroy the Corp!" He snorted a laugh and flinched in pain. "Maybe it's my curse to constantly be surrounded by crazy people."

"What is a Stratego?" Goau asked quietly. He needed to get the kid back on track.

"Someone who has mastered at least four of the Secs. There are six Sectors in all. Weapons, Tracking, Infiltration, Intelligence, Informant, and Technology. Once you become a Stratego, you gain a nickname." He smiled with his head still against the headboard. His face dimpled lightly. "I'm Green Smile."

"How many Stratego are there? How much power do you hold?"

"I don't know the exact number. There are only two that I know of personally. We can be implemented to any position that we have mastered. I was assigned to find you because the Stratego before me failed. I got all of his information and equipment to track you down. I infiltrated Cornwall and waited. Sure enough, there you were."

"Where did the other Stratego get assigned to?"

"Hell if I know." The green boy shook his wavy head lazily against the wooden headrest. "They could have terminated him for all I care. I know his nickname was Crying Gray. Pretty sissy name if you ask me."

"Is there anything higher than a Stratego? What if you pass all the Sectors?"

"You are a Hegemon."

The boy was drained. Goau could see it. His pale face was starting to flush with a growing fever.

"You need more food. Or at least some water."

"I feel dizzy." Green Smile's eyes were dulling. "The clouds are coming back."

"I'll get you a fever reducer. Lay back down on the cleaner side of the bed. I'll bring some water for the pills." As Goau stood from the chair, he gasped in surprise as Gad suddenly leaned forward and grabbed his arm. It was a painful grip. His dazed dark eyes were wide and feverish.

"I told you… I told you about us… about the Corp… and now I'll be hunted regardless… hunted just like you… Uchida saved you… and you saved me… She was watching over me… to the end, wasn't she? She saved you… for me…"

The black-haired man swallowed and gently released the boy's shaking hand from his arm. Helping him roll back down under the unstained part of the covers, he watched Gad's pale back tremble under the blankets. The black cord under his skin looked like a poisonous snake; slithering just below the surface.

"She was watching over you." Goau agreed quietly. "Maybe that's why she smiled at the end."

* * *

The black-haired boy leapt out of the minivan, ignoring his mother's shout. Racing across the front lawn, he took off into the house. His white karate gi flapped loosely on his small body. Plunging into the living room, he pushed his wild black bangs out of his eyes and quickly scanned the empty room.

"Hitomi!" He yelled, running out of the living room and into the kitchen. "Hitomi, I gotta show you something!"

"Her name is _Helen_, _Victor_!" His long-haired mother announced from the front door. There was a loud rustling noise of plastic sacks. "Help me with these groceries before you run off again. I gotta close the car door."

Running back into the living room, he grabbed several of the grocery sacks that were weighing her arms down and raced back into the kitchen. Dropping the bags down with an ungraceful clunk on the tall counter, he immediately turned and stomped up the stairs. "Hito… Helen! Where are you?"

He heard a small voice answer him from her room down the hall. "Van? I'm studying. What is it?" He ran to her door and pounded excitedly with both fists. It opened and she stood with a quizzical expression.

"I want to show you what I learned!"

"Wow!" her green eyes widened and she grinned happily at him. "Your outfit is so cool!"

The black-haired boy felt his chest swell with pride. He put his hands on his hips to show more of his karate uniform. "It called a 'gi'."

"You look like an expert!" She complimented. He blushed slightly and grinned back at her. Reaching forward, he grabbed her small hand. "Come to the backyard! I want to teach you some stuff!"

Her face fell slightly and she planted her feet firmly on the floor. "My tutor told me to finish my homework. I can't yet, Van."

"You study all the time with that tutor stuff! Take a break for five minutes!" He tugged on her hand once more.

"But I need to finish these worksheets!" She countered trying to pull her hand back. Holding tightly on her palm, he came with her a bit through the doorway.

"It'll be fun! Come on, Hitomi!" He jerked her back out of the door.

She started giggling and he felt a slight electrical shock run through his body. She pulled him back into the doorway. "Van! I can't!"

"If you stop being such a book-worm, you can!" The girl stumbled a bit on the carpet when he pulled her again.

"I'm not a book-worm!" She shouted in a straining voice as she put all her strength into pulling him. Caught a bit off guard, he was yanked past the door and his right foot tripped on the wooden door frame. With a shock of surprise, he realized his momentum couldn't be stopped. She let out a tiny squeal as he fell into her, knocking her off her feet. A spark crackled through him as he landed on top of her small body. His mahogany eyes went wide and he immediately braced his arms on the floor to lift his body off of hers.

"Hitomi! Are you okay? I'm sorry!"

Underneath him, the short-haired girl let out a small giggle and nodded. Her green eyes sparkled with delight. He sighed in relief and pulled himself off of her just as she was trying to sit up. They bonked heads.

"Ouch!"

"Ow!"

Both clasped a hand to their respective injured spot. Looking at her, he felt a small smile slowly spread across his lips. She mirrored his expression, grinning happily.

Varie could hear their peals of laughter all the way in the kitchen.

* * *

**They are so cute!**

I have the best time with Hitomi and Van. They are just so darn _cute_! Now to do the thing I've dreaded forever and research karate. I don't know a thing about it, so if you have any type of karate knowledge it would be the nicest thing EVER if you'd explained the basics to me. I know there are twelve steps or forms for you to follow through. But that's about it.

And once again, I couldn't help making Gadeth's character slightly crazy. I don't think I can ever write a 'sane' Gadeth. Looks like Goau might have an ally... or will he? Dun dun duuuunnn!

Rutilus will be back next week. I'm actually really excited for this next chapter. It's gonna be a good one!

I am working all the way up till Saturday, so the only excuse I have for not updating next week (or maybe even this week) is the phone not shutting up. It drives me crazy! Sometimes I just want to secretly unplug it and have hours of missed calls. And then I'd be fired and screwed financially and be on the streets as one of those people who mutters to themselves. Except I'd be muttering about radioactive hearts and robot love. lol!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. This one is kind of a transition one. Not much action, but still important nonetheless. A lot of information though. I'll give a big thank you on the next chapter of Rutilus, but I wanted to make a quick grateful jot on here for EVERYONE who wrote how much they'd missed and loved the chapter. Like I've said before, you are all my muse!

blue...


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